Police Scotland and Crown Office face demands for urgent inquiry as violent killer’s record wiped clean
A shocking administrative blunder has allowed a transgender murderer to have their criminal record wiped clean after changing gender behind bars, sparking fury from women’s rights campaigners and politicians who demand answers about how many other dangerous criminals may have exploited the system.
Alexandria Stewart – who was jailed for life as Alan Baker for the savage stabbing of father-of-two John Weir – appeared to have NO criminal history when officials ran a routine check under the killer’s new female identity.
The extraordinary gaffe only came to light when a solicitor requested standard criminal disclosure checks for witnesses in a prison conflict case at HMP Greenock, where Stewart is housed in the women’s estate despite being legally male.
BRUTAL KILLING THAT SHOCKED SCOTLAND
Stewart, now 37, was sentenced to a minimum 19 years behind bars in 2013 for what a judge branded a “wicked and brutal” murder that left the community reeling.
The killer had met victim John Weir, 36, through an online gay dating website just hours before stabbing Mr Weir at least 16 times in the chest at his home in Bonhill, West Dunbartonshire in January 2013.
At the High Court in Dumbarton, Baker was sentenced to a minimum of 19 years in jail after being found guilty of murder. The court heard disturbing evidence that Baker abused five other ex-partners, but no reports were made to the police.
GENDER SWITCH BEHIND BARS
Three years into the life sentence, Stewart began identifying as a woman while incarcerated and changed names – a move that would later expose catastrophic flaws in Scotland’s criminal records system.
In a case that has outraged taxpayers, the murderer was even granted a tracheal shave, a cosmetic surgery that reduces the prominence of the Adam’s apple – a procedure that can cost up to £7,000 privately.
BLANK SLATE BOMBSHELL
The scandal erupted when defence solicitor Paul Lynch requested criminal histories for witnesses in a prison conflict case. While he was provided with the full rap sheet for witnesses who hadn’t changed their gender, Stewart’s had no convictions on it.
A correction was only made after the Crown was told that Stewart was appearing in the witness box as a prisoner and serving a life sentence for murder.
POLITICAL FIRESTORM
Justice Secretary Angela Constance admitted the error “shouldn’t have occurred” but insisted it was an “isolated incident” – a claim that has done little to quell the growing storm.
Scottish Conservative MSP Sharon Dowey blasted: “This case represents a dereliction of duty by Police Scotland and the Crown Office.
Alba MSP Ash Regan went further, claiming she had evidence this was not “a mere administrative error” but was part of “systemic data corruption” driven by “years of unlawful self-ID policy”.
‘HOW MANY MORE?’
Campaigners are demanding full transparency about whether other transgender prisoners have had their criminal pasts erased.
Susan Smith from For Women Scotland warned: “It is chilling to think some of these men may be paroled back into society with a clean sheet and no way to check their past convictions”.
Dr Kate Coleman of Keep Prisons Single Sex called it a “terrifying example” of identity policies enabling serious offenders to obscure their pasts.
CROWN OFFICE SCRAMBLES
A Crown Office spokesman confirmed: “Although the initial witness check showed no previous convictions, on further inquiry by the Procurator Fiscal this was corrected prior to” trial.
Police Scotland acknowledged “work is ongoing to prevent something similar taking place” but both agencies have refused to reveal if any other trans offenders have benefited from clean records.
PRISON ROMANCE SCANDAL
Adding to the controversy, Stewart is reportedly in a relationship with fellow inmate Nyomi Fee – jailed for 24 years in 2016 after she subjected her two-year-old stepson Liam to appalling abuse before murdering him in 2014.
The pair’s relationship has raised serious questions about safeguarding in Scotland’s prison system, with Stewart previously winning a “Miss Fitness” trophy, a coveted sports tournament within HMP Greenock.
DEMANDS FOR ACTION
Scottish Tory shadow minister Meghan Gallacher said: “The public will rightly worry that other violent or sexual offenders have been granted a clean slate simply by changing their name and gender.
She added: “SNP ministers must ensure that the data collection processes of Police Scotland and the Crown Office are reassessed.
The scandal comes amid ongoing controversy over Scotland’s gender self-identification policies and their impact on women’s safety in prisons.
