Make New York Post a Preferred Source A transgender thug who smashed his van into a random woman out on a walk in the UK, then abducted and strangled her was branded a “very dangerous man” by the judge, as he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Safiya Anna Haverty, born Sean Bevann Haverty, immediately went home and shaved off his beard and hair to cover up the crime, according to prosecutors in Winchester Crown Court in the UK.
Haverty — who attacked the stranger in March — appeared in court wearing a long black wig and a women’s pantsuit, as defense lawyers described him as a vulnerable “young lady,” according to the Daily Mail.
Haverty blamed the attack on his gender transition, and prosecutors say that he drove around the English countryside searching for a woman to attack before selecting his victim.
The victim testified that the assault left her suffering flashbacks and panic attacks.
Safiya Anna Haverty appears at Winchester Crown Court for sentencing on Nov. 13, 2023. Haverty was sentenced to 10 years for attempted kidnapping. Hampshire Police Judge Rufus Taylor, who sentenced Haverty, described the deranged criminal as “a very dangerous man” and a danger to women.
Haverty targeted the woman, aged in her 50s, as she walked down a road in Hampshire, England, on March 2.
In a statement, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said the attacker hit the victim intentionally with a white van, throwing her several feet away.
He then dragged her toward the back of the van, where the attacker began choking her.
Thinking quickly of an escape plan, the victim went limp and waited for Haverty to let go. She then fled as the crazed attacker went to open the back of the van.
The woman ran up a hill nearby and flagged down two cyclists. Haverty briefly chased her in the van but turned around and drove away.
The Daily Mail reported that after the attack, Haverty traveled to Cornwall, where his then-partner lived and shaved off their hair and beard and began wearing a long dark wig.
According to the outlet, Haverty told his partner he had begun a gender transition.
Haverty was convicted of kidnapping, assault causing actual bodily harm, dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice in August following a six-day trial.
In a harrowing statement read to the court, Haverty’s victim admitted that she has found it “extremely difficult” to go out on her own and has had trouble sleeping since the attack.
“I felt constantly on edge and unsafe,” the statement read. “Even now, I still wake up with panic attacks, and my sleep is frequently disrupted by flashbacks to what happened.”
“What happened doesn’t simply go away when I close my eyes; it is something I continue to relive,” the victim said.
“The fact that someone was prepared to do that to me has left me with a fear that I never had before. It is something I find very difficult to put behind me, even though I managed to escape.”
Surveillance cameras caught the van’s license plate, and Haverty was arrested in Cornwall the next day.
Detective Constable Holly Hunt-Watts, who investigated the case, described the attempted kidnapping as a “truly horrendous” incident.
“Through her courage, outstanding teamwork and a swift investigation, a dangerous offender has been put behind bars,” he said in a statement shared to the local police website.
“This result reflects the professionalism, determination and commitment shown by colleagues across the force, and the valuable support of our colleagues in Devon & Cornwall Police.”
