Not Guilty: Transexual Police Worker's "Sleepwalking" Defence Beats Murder Bid Charge

A transexual police worker, who battered her sleeping brother over the head with an iron bar, was cleared of attempted murder yesterday after the jury accepted her 'sleepwalking' defence.

Helen Doe, 53, of Montgomery Close, Mitcham, told police she woke up in the early hours of the home they shared with an "overwhelming hatred" for 64 year-old Kenneth Doe.

He received three wounds to his skull from the one and a half foot long metal bar as he lay in bed, plus received a broken finger as he tried to defend himself.

Doe, who is employed by the Metropolitan Police Uniform Services and is a vocal transphobia campaigner was found not guilty at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court to the attempted murder of Kenneth on July 5, last year.

Doe's case was that she was suffering 'non-insane automatism' - involuntary movements she was not responsible for and medical experts backed her up.

"The defence will point to the conclusion Miss Doe was sleepwalking when she attacked her brother and that sleepwalking and violence was due to the drugs she was taking," said prosecutor Mr. Paul Cavin.  

Doe was taking hormone tablets, plus prescribed pills for anxiety and depression.

"Fortunately he did not die or suffer long-term injury at all, brain injury, however it is the prosecution case that in striking him several times with an iron bar she intended to kill him.

"It may be that she is not strong enough, maybe he blocked or parried the blows, he sustained a fractured finger.

"The prosecution say the evidence shows she intended that death would result, that she wished to kill him."

Miss Doe dialled 999 and told the operator at around 2.50am: "I've had an accident. I think I've killed my brother. I've hit him with an iron bar. Just now, I've been building up to it."

When officers entered the house the defendant was in the kitchen and told them: "It's me. I did it, he's upstairs."

Mr. Cavin added: "On the kitchen table was a metal pole about a foot and a half long with blood on it."

Police went upstairs to check on the brother. "His head and hair was covered in blood."

Mr. Doe told them: "I had an argument with her earlier and I woke up and she was hitting me with an iron bar……..I don't like her friends."

He was rushed to St. George's Hospital to be treated for the three wounds, plus a fractured middle finger on his left hand.

"Amazingly, fortunately, the wounds were stapled."

When Miss Doe was arrested she asked the WPC: "Can I have a cuddle?"

Mr Cavin told the jury Doe spoke freely in the van on the way to Sutton Police Station, confessing: "I wanted to do it. I wanted to kill him."

"She said her friendship with her brother was not a good one and woke in the early hours with an overwhelming hatred of her brother and she makes reference to muffled voices in her head.

"She describes a history of depression for which she was taking prescribed medication. She also said she was in the process of changing gender to that of a female and was having hormone therapy."

Doe has organised lectures for Croydon LGBT and has led the Croydon Trans Group and has been living as a woman since 2012.