A trans woman who stalked and threatened to batter the surgeon who carried out her gender reassignment procedure has been jailed.
Vivienne Taylor, 28, admitted stalking Tina Rashid in actions which stretched across four years and impacted her work, family, and social life.
It was heard at Isleworth Crown Court this week that Taylor, of Wirral, Cheshire, began acting strangely soon after undergoing reassignment surgery in Putney, London, in 2021.
She brought Dr Rashid a cake to thank her and kept dozens of pictures of the surgeon on her phone before being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
Taylor was later admitted to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital with ‘complications’ and demanded to be treated by Dr Rashid. She threatened to kill herself if she was not granted her wish, the court heard.
Judge Giles Curtis-Raleigh said the transgender woman developed a ‘fixation’ on Ms Rashid even though their relationship was merely a professional one.
He jailed Taylor for 14 months and ordered her to pay a £187 victim surcharge.
It was heard that Ms Rashid was left suffering with ‘anxiety most days’ and fearing for her safety amid Taylor’s obsession.
The stalking involved turning up at Ms Rashid’s hospital unannounced claiming she was under the doctor’s care, sending unwanted emails suggesting they should ‘catch up’ and trying to connect with her on LinkedIn.
On one occasion, Taylor threatened to batter ‘Ms Rashid’ – a highly respected surgeon – in a threatening message.
In her victim impact statement, the doctor revealed that she had to take extreme precautions on her commute to work in a bid to avoid her former patient.
She said: ‘I have considered very carefully whether I was in a fit state to operate safely and if I would have to wake that patient up before their surgery.’
Ms Rashid resorted to wearing a cap or a hood to avoid recognition, as well as staying late in the office and paying £60 for Ubers.
She added: ‘I have young children living with me and I also fear for their safety.’
The doctor was left feeling scared to socialise before Taylor was eventually arrested in November 2025, giving her what she described as a ‘freeing feeling’.
The judge read aloud the last ‘threatening and aggressive’ message that Taylor sent earlier that month. Referring to Ms Rashid and her partner, the stalker wrote: ‘I’m going to batter both of you evil c**** and make you suffer.’
Taylor has shown some ‘element of remorse’ but the judge added: ‘Although you apologise at times, and say you understand the impact, you also sought to put blame on her for putting you in prison, which causes me concern.’
Taylor has ‘limited and fluctuating insight’ into her actions, which even included trying to contact Ms Rashid while she was behind bars in a bid to convince her to drop the charges, the judge said.
The court heard she has suffered breakdowns in her mental health, but her actions ‘impinged on Ms Rashid’s work, family and every aspect of her life’.
While in custody last month, Taylor demanded to be moved from the category B male prison HMP Wandsworth to an all-women prison.
She told the court: ‘I have a female recognition certificate. I am a female, and should be treated as such.’
Taylor argued she should be held in HMP Bronzefield ‘or another female establishment,’ but Judge Hannah Duncan said the prisoner had no say over where she should be held.
‘I will leave that to people who are qualified to make these decisions,’ the judge said.
