A court in England has heard serious allegations involving an inmate at a women’s prison in the UK.
Karen White, 52, was held at New Hall Prison in Wakefield, a women’s facility, in 2017 while awaiting trial on separate matters. According to reports from UK outlets including The Sun, White was charged with sexually assaulting four women who were also held there. White admitted some of the allegations in court at Leeds Crown Court on September 6 and denied the others, the court heard.
UK reports also said White has prior convictions, including for offenses involving a child in 2001, and that White was moved to a men’s prison, HM Prison Leeds, after the complaints were made. The prosecution described the alleged incidents to the court. We are not repeating those details here.
The case has set off a debate in the UK about how prisoners are assessed before being placed in women’s prisons. Dr. Nicola Williams, a spokeswoman for the group Fair Play for Women, told The Sun that the case shows prison risk assessments are not good enough and that guidance needs to change. The prison service had not responded in the reports we reviewed.
Sentencing details had not been announced at the time of this report, and the charges White denied remain before the court.
