Transgender woman punched unconscious and strangled by bodybuilder who called her a 'freak' during sickening drug-fuelled attack
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A personal trainer attacked a former client in a drink and drug fuelled rage, calling her a 'f*****g freak' and a 'f*****g tranny'.
Bodybuilder David Sharples had been drinking and taking cocaine with his transgender victim when he got a phone call from someone who owed him money.
He then took his anger out on Tamzin Yates during the assault in October 2015, but has avoided a jail sentence.
The 30-year-old punched her before strangling her, laughing as he said "lets see how many sleeper holds I can put you in", Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)
He had made friends with Ms Yates and was aware that she was a transgender woman, while acting as her personal trainer in Manchester.
The pair became closer and spent time together, and had been out drinking when she saw two sides to Sharples personality on the evening of 21 October 2015.
He verbally abused her knowing that it would cause upset to her after becoming angry, the court heard.
When she retaliated by slapping him, he punched her to the face knocking her out, and when she regained consciousness he was laughing at her with his hands around her throat.
(Image: Facebook)
Sharples pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm ad a previous hearing in June this year.
During police interviews he admitted putting a timer on his microwave, giving his victim 10 minutes to leave his flat, claiming that she had assaulted him first and that she was 'doing his head in'.
Prosecuting, David Jones, told the court that Sharples had purchased cocaine on the way back to his flat, where they were returning to feed his dog.
He said: "The victim Miss Yates met the defendant in the gym he was working at as her personal trainer. They had got on, and considered each other friends and in October 2015 they spent a few days together.
"On 21 October 2015 they had been at Miss Yates flat drinking, they returned to the defendants flat so he could feed his dog.
(Image: Facebook)
"When he had taken drugs and alcohol she said that she saw two sides to this defendants personality. He would go from happy to moody in a single heartbeat.
"Between 3am and 3.55am the first 999 call came in from someone on behalf of Miss Yates.
"They were at the defendants flat when she describes that the defendant received a phone call which appeared to make him angry.
"She felt the need to leave the room as a result of his anger, and he became more aggressive and angry thereafter when he made some more phone calls and his anger became focused on her.
"He started shouting at her telling her to leave, and as she was collecting her belongings the defendant got angrier.
"He was shouting at her, telling her that she was a f*****g freak and a f*****g tranny. This was particularly abusive towards Miss Yates as she describes herself as a pre-operation transgender woman.
"He continued verbally abusing her and spat in her face twice. Miss Yates admits that by this point she had had enough of the abuse and she accepts that she slapped the defendant as a result of the abuse.
"He is a 6ft bodybuilder, he stared at her for a moment before punching her in the face which caused her to fall to the floor.
"She believes that she lost consciousness for a period of time. She recalls coming to with the defendant strangling her, grabbing her repeatedly and smashing her head against the floor."
Mr Jones continued: "She recalls that this happened nine times or so.
"She was eventually able to get her leg free and kick out at the defendant. There was then a struggle, and during that struggle she described that every time she went to strike out at him the defendant would grip her harder.
"He then changed his grip on her. She was struggling to breath, and was potentially rendered unconscious, but she heard the defendant say 'lets see how many sleeper holds I can put on you'.
(Image: Facebook)
"He was laughing as he did so. He then grabbed her by her hair and dragged her down the corridor and threw her out of the flat, still continuing with his transphobic abuse.
"She went into the bedroom where she had left her property when he again pushed her on the bed, and straddled her and began to strangle her again.
"He punched her and threatened that he was going to throw her out of the window. He didn't do this, but threatened it and Miss Yates felt fearful that it would happen.
"She was screaming for him to stop, and he again grabbed her by the hair and threw her into the corridor.
"The defendant continued to verbally abuse her, and Miss Yates admits shouting back at him that he couldn't deal with being attracted to a transgender woman. He continued to verbally abuse her.
"She went into the foyer of the block of flats where somebody she met contacted 999 on her behalf.
"She had bruising all over her body, and a bloodied nose, and was taken to MRI, and was given an x-ray.
"When the defendant was subsequently arrested and interviewed he confirmed that they had been taking drugs and alcohol.
"He described himself as coming from a mad comedown and was 'wired and tired'. He said 'I was wired out of my head and needed to calm down. She was doing my head in'."
Sharples also said that Miss Yates was the aggressor and that she had attacked him clawing and scratching at him.
He accepted that he had pushed her to keep her from attacking him and admitted that he had punched her and she fell to the floor.
He claimed that he had acted in self defence and denied that his actions were not motivated by her being transgender, which was accepted by the prosecution.
Sharples added in interview that the injuries Miss Yates had were sustained when she fell to the floor, and that he had been acting in self defence against her.
He said that his comment about throwing her out of the window had been said earlier in the evening and had been a joke.
A victim personal statement from Ms Yates said: "She felt particularly hurt because she felt that the defendant was her friend and felt that he appeared to understand what she was going through which made the insults he used against her particularly upsetting.
"She described having a lack of confidence and self harming for a time. Physically she was so overpowered and dominated by the defendant.
"She has a lack of confidence, but she wants to go ahead with the prosecution to show the defendant that this type of abuse should not occur. She does accept that it was not a transgender motivated assault."
Defending, Richard English told the court that his client had turned his life around in the two years since the assault, not having committed any offences since.
He added: "This is a very sad case. He was very fond of Miss Yates and they were friends. He has lost both a friend and his good character.
"He accepts that his behaviour was appalling. There has been no issues of offending in the months since and 18 months have passed.
"He has issues with his mental health and has been sectioned on one occasion and struggles with depression and anxiety.
"The habit of taking class A drugs did not help. He describes that in layman's terms that he had a breakdown.
"He has since moved to Derby, is working in a new job and is in a new relationship which is very supportive and she knows about these proceedings and stands by him.
"He has shown genuine remorse for his actions, and has not attempted to contact Miss Yates in any form and she acknowledges this."
Handing down a suspended sentence, Judge Angela Nield told Sharples: "This offence was described by your counsel as a very sad offence.
"Indeed he is correct because the assault you perpetrated on Tamzin Yates that night was a multi-pronged one.
"You struck her with a vicious punch with great force to her face and she was perhaps very fortunate that she didn't sustain great physical injury.
"The second prong was equally as vicious. You used a verbal assault to cause much harm and distress to her as you possibly could.
"It is scarcely possibly to imagine an individual as she would describe herself as a pre operation transgender woman going through the processes that she would have been having to deal with the words that you said to her.
"The words you said to her were designed to harm, undermine and distress her.
"You had regarded her as a friend and she regarded you not only as a friend by somebody she believed understood her difficulties particularly the physical and emotional things that she was embarking upon.
"That was then used against her. The bruises I have seen would have been unpleasant and painful, but will largely have faded.
"But I suspect that the words spoken will be remembered by her for a very very long time to come.
"I am told that you are a man who is capable of living a law abiding life, you are working, and you have a partner and are in a stable relationship, with all of the stresses that that entails.
"Most importantly you have come off the drugs.
"It seems to me that having taken both alcohol and cocaine at the time of this offence it was the root cause of your behaving in what seems to be in a completely out of character way.
"That does not excuse what you did, and I accept that you have show an appropriate amount of remorse."
Sharples was given a sentence of 16 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months, and he must complete 180 hours unpaid work and 20 hours rehabilitation.
He must also pay compensation of £500 to Miss Yates at a rate of £50 a month, and a mandatory surcharge.
Speaking after the case Miss Yates said: "My experience with David Sharples has caused severe anxiety, and the comments he added at the end of his assault were why I went ahead with pressing charges.
"They were cruel and unfair and I had to make a point to him and others like him.
"Just because someone is transgender it does not give a man or anyone else the right to go as far in assaulting a woman or any other person.
"I am much more alert since the assault, and have to think so much more before trusting people.
"Any other transgender person who has experienced an assault like this needs to come forward, as there are people who can help them.
"My case highlights that justice can be done and bring them to justice. It's not okay to just accept violence just because someone has an issue with your gender. It is never the answer and things can be done."