Transgender Woman Jailed for Stalking Surgeon Locked Up in Surrey Women’s Prison
A transgender woman convicted of stalking her gender reassignment surgeon is now held in a women’s prison in Surrey — triggering political uproar.
Vivienne Taylor’s Year-Long Stalking Nightmare
Vivienne Taylor, 28, was jailed for 14 months last March after pleading guilty to stalking consultant urological surgeon Dr Tina Rashid, who performed her surgery in 2021. What started with a thank-you cake swiftly descended into a relentless obsession.
Taylor bombarded Dr Rashid with messages, stalked her workplace, and snapped dozens of photos. The court heard:
- Unwanted emails demanding to “catch up”
- Persistent LinkedIn friend requests
- A violent threat to “batter” the surgeon
- Unreasonable demands for exclusive medical care during hospital stays
Dr Rashid was left terrified, battling daily anxiety. The judge slapped Taylor with an “exceptional” restraining order — no expiry date.
Behind Bars in Surrey’s Transgender Prison Wing
Taylor now serves her sentence at HMP Downview in Surrey, in E Wing — a specialist unit for transgender women. The Ministry of Justice describes it as “unique,” created for transgender inmates who are too high-risk for the general female population but too vulnerable to house with men.
Prisoners here are kept separate but can access supervised activities with other inmates under tight restrictions.
MP Demands Answers Over Prison Transfer
Conservative MP Rebecca Paul has slammed the decision to place Taylor in a women’s prison unit.
“I am urgently looking into this situation,” Paul said.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson confirmed the specialised wing exists, stressing it is “isolated from the main female population.”
