Sex offender who identifies as a woman groped prison officers in cell

Sex offender, 27, who identifies as a woman and is being held in a men’s jail sexually assaulted female and male prison officers while being served food in cell

• Katana Paris admitted groping the officers at HMP Forest Bank in Manchester 

A sex offender who identifies as a woman and is being held in a men’s jail has admitted groping two prison officers while being served food in a cell.

Katana Paris, 27, who was part way through a three-year sentence at the time for attacking a nurse, assaulted the male and female staff members at HMP Forest Bank in Manchester last year.

The first officer, a woman, was taking breakfast to Paris’ cell, with the help of two inmates, when the offender walked towards her and touched her inappropriately.

The next day, Paris reached through the cell door hatch and grabbed the genitals of a male officer as he tried to serve lunch.

Paris admitted two counts of sexual assault at Manchester Crown Court and was handed a further six-month sentence.

Katana Paris, 27, has admitted groping two prison officers while being served food in jail

Paris assaulted the male and female staff members at HMP Forest Bank in Manchester last year

Prosecuting, Megan Edwards said that Paris, who uses female pronouns, was on remand at the prison for an offence of sexual assault. 

The day of the incident, a female prison officer was on breakfast duty at around 7.50am.

Mrs Edwards said: ‘She approached the defendant’s cell and unlocked the door in order to serve her breakfast. 

‘She stepped out of the cell, which was unusual, as prisoners would normally remain in their cell.

‘She asked the defendant to move back, but the request was ignored. The defendant then placed a hand on her hand, before sliding her fingers between her knuckles.’

The officer moved away and the two prisoners who were helping handed over Paris’ breakfast. 

The defendant then ‘jumped up and down’ as if ‘excited’, before moving over to the woman and touching her genitals.

‘She did not say anything when she did this, but she was shocked and in disbelief that she deliberately touched her like that,’ the prosecutor added. 

One of the prisoners, the court heard, said to the officer: ‘Did she just touch your…’ 

The officer replied: ‘Yes, she just touched me.’ Not wanting the rest of the inmates to know what happened, the prison officer continued to serve breakfast, before reporting the incident.

Paris, who uses female pronouns, was on remand at the prison for an offence of sexual assault

A day later, a male custody officer was serving lunch when he went to Paris’ cell, who was described as being ‘quite aggressive’.

As he unlocked the hatch to her door and passed the food through, Paris reached out a right hand and grabbed his genitals.

‘He immediately felt violated and used his body strength to push her back into her cell,’ Ms Edwards said. 

Paris, who has convictions for 87 offences, was handed a 37-month sentence after pulling a nurse towards her genitals while in hospital, the court heard. 

Mitigating, Rochelle Collins said her client was suffering with mental health problems and emotional regularity problems at the time.

‘She is extremely remorseful and tells me this happened at a time when her mental health was at its lowest,’ she said. 

‘She doesn’t want to continue with these types of behaviours. There has been no further complaint whilst she has been in custody.’

Sentencing, the Recorder of Manchester, Judge Nicholas Dean KC said: ‘Prison officers are placed in a vulnerable position – they are described as emergency workers. 

‘They are in a situation where they are vulnerable to these sorts of assaults and they deserve and require the protections of the courts when assaults such as this happen.

‘I have read and considered a presentence report, and I am not convinced you have shown any significant remorse. 

‘It seems to me you regard what you did as being rather trivial.’

Paris, is now at HMP Swaleside in Kent and will be on the sex offender register for five years.

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