A transgender woman that was brutally set upon by two assailants who threatened to take her life has said that the ordeal has made her scared to leave her home unaccompanied.
Aria Welsh, 30, says that the attack by the two brutes had left her with PTSD and severe anxiety as well as lasting physical injuries after she was attacked with a bottle and stamped on in a horrific transphobic attack.
The incident is understood to have taken place in Dunfermline in February 2019 with Ceiryn Meade, 22, and Mark Jeffrey, 33, named as the culprits.
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They are understood to have threatened the woman saying they would “kill” her because they “would not accept transgender individuals” in their Fife town, the Daily Record reports.
Last week, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard Meade and Jeffrey admitted to acting together to violently assault Perth based Aria, and striking her on the head with a bottle.
The court also heard that the pair continued their assault after the woman had fallen to the floor as they punched, kicked and stamped all over her head and body.
She was left covered in blood on the concrete floor of a block of flats in Dunfermline.
Sheriff Susan Duff acknowledged they had been motivated by transgender prejudice.
Meade and Jeffrey both avoided prison sentences and were each told to carry out unpaid work of 135 and 216 hours respectively, as well as being handed restriction of liberty and supervision orders.
But Aria, a former Miss Transgender UK 2019, says the impact on her life has been profound.
Speaking to PA, Aria, originally from Crieff, said the attack left her with brain damage, borderline personality disorder, severe anxiety, PTSD and a severely damaged nose - which causes her sleepless nights.
“I don’t remember some of the things that happened to me,” she said.
“I am on heavy medication for my anxiety. I need them otherwise I don’t want to leave the house.
“I don’t go anywhere without my fiancé, Peter.
“The doctors said I would have one procedure with a plastic surgeon to fix the structural damage to my nose and rebuild the cartilage but I have to go in a third time because it is still not fixed.
“I have bad trouble sleeping because of it. I lie wide awake because when I am lying down I cannot breathe.
“I was an independent person and my confidence has been knocked for six.
“I had to cancel shows and a tour after I got jumped, and I had to drop out of the Perthshire Pride board.
“It has taken up my whole life.”
Aria says “a lot more needs to change” to improve legislation and sentencing involving hate crimes on the LGBTQ community.
“It is about raising awareness and improving legislation to help support queer and trans people,” she said.
“It will take people like me and other LGBT people to stand up and say: ‘We can’t take this any more’.
“You get more time in prison for shoplifters trying to feed their families than for what happened to me.
“We need work all the way up to the top to try and make changes. I will be contacting my local MSPs and MPs to raise awareness.
“This is what can happen to people just for being what they are.
“If I need to become a lawyer to make changes, then that is what is going to happen.”
Scarlet Skylar Rae, chairperson of Perthshire Pride and friend of Aria, said: “After the court case being delayed for years, we are incredibly disappointed to hear [the] sentencing results and justice has not been done.
“Community service is not an adequate punishment for a hate crime.
“Aria is an incredibly prominent member of the Perthshire LGBTQ+ community and inspired many through her successful Miss Transgender UK competition.
“As a friend, I’ve seen her struggle through her recovery after this assault.
“As a charity, Perthshire Pride have worked hard to support the LGBTQ+ community and we are saddened that in 2022 hate crimes still exist and we endeavour to support the trans community.”
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