Nicola Sturgeon has admitted she was "like a rabbit caught in the headlights" when questioned about double rapist Isla Bryson's gender identity. In her new memoir "Frankly", the former First Minister reveals she was "completely blindsided" when the case sparked public outrage in 2023.
"I had no advance warning that the case was pending," Sturgeon wrote. "To this day, I do not understand how no one in the Scottish Prison Service or Scottish government officialdom thought it important to flag it up to me."
The Bryson scandal
Isla Bryson was convicted at Glasgow High Court in 2023 of raping two women - one in Clydebank in 2016 and another in Glasgow in 2019. Bryson began identifying as a woman only after being charged and has never legally changed gender.
The Scottish Prison Service initially moved Bryson to Cornton Vale women's prison. Only after public backlash and Sturgeon's intervention was Bryson transferred to HMP Edinburgh.
The controversy erupted weeks after MSPs passed the Gender Recognition Reform Bill. Although Westminster later blocked the legislation, the prison service had allowed prisoners to self-identify their gender for years.
Dangerous prisoners remain
Despite policy changes following the Bryson scandal, dangerous biological men continue to be housed in Scotland's women's estate. According to Herald investigation, current prisoners include Alan Baker, convicted of murder in 2013 and held in the female unit at Greenock prison.
Richard McCabe, also known as Melissa Young, was convicted of murder in 2014 and remains in the women's estate. While on remand at Cornton Vale, McCabe assaulted a female officer, biting her stomach.
Peter Laing, who now goes by Paris Green, was convicted of murder and torture in 2013. Laing was still in the female estate in 2024 and recently charged with assaulting a female guard.
Policy failures continue
The Scottish Human Rights Commission helped draft the prison service's post-Bryson policy but has faced criticism for failing to respond to concerns. Murray Blackburn Mackenzie has repeatedly called on the commission to withdraw its submission, with requests dating back to June 2023 receiving no substantive response.
The commission wrote to the prison service in May 2025 asking how it was monitoring the policy's impact. More than two months later, the prison service has yet to reply, stating it will respond "in due course".
Evolving position
Sturgeon's memoir revelations come as she attempts to rehabilitate her political legacy. Her admission of being unprepared for a case that became central to the transgender rights debate highlights the disconnect between policy ambitions and practical implementation during her tenure.
The chaos in Scotland's public sector, particularly its prisons, threatens to define Sturgeon's legacy despite her efforts to control the narrative through "Frankly".
Sources used: "Heraldscotland", "Glasgow Live", "Evening Standard", "Independent" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
