CPS slammed after describing bearded killer as “woman who killed her boyfriend”

The Crown Prosecution Service has been slammed after they issued a press release about a bearded transgender murderer stating: “Woman found guilty of murdering her ex-partner”. CPS chiefs issued the release describing Aurin Makepeace as a woman who had killer her boyfriend without making any mention of the fact she had been born a man.

They subsequently amended their release – and social media post – to state that Makepeace, whose police custody photographs shows a distinctive 5 o’clock shadow, had been “born male” but maintained that the biological male had killer her boyfriend – after the pair met whilst in an all-male prison. They then amended amidst further protest to state that a ‘Murderer had stabbed ex-partner to death’. Women rights activist Jill Foster stormed: “The Crown Prosecution Service has deleted this gaslighting tweet after being community noted and ratio’d up the wazoo by people who are not insane and can see this is a man.

“There should be an investigation into why the CPS is lying to the public about violent, dangerous men.”

Another online poster Stephanie said: “Absolutely shocking. This was not a woman’s crime. It is incredibly insulting to us that they refer to him as a ‘woman’.”

In a statement the CPS said: “We recognise the significant concern our coverage of this case has caused. Our post reflected the terminology used in the court proceedings.”

Makepeace first met Steven Rothwell in 2013 whilst they were both incarcerated for offences of wounding and murder.

They became a couple after their respective releases before Rothwell, 41, was found dead in the bathroom of his home on August 19 last year having suffered a stab wound to his chest.

Chester Crown Court heard that hours earlier Makepeace fatally stabbed him with a kitchen knife before fleeing his flat in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

CCTV from close to Rothwell’s flat showed Makepeace earlier in the evening making several trips to a local shop to buy alcohol whilst staying with her lover – who also had another girlfriend.

After committing the murder, Makepeace made her way back to her home in Prestatyn, north Wales, but on the way contacted friends to confess that she had “killed Steven” and said she had “murdered my boyfriend”.

She claimed that she had stabbed him because he had been strangling her.

Around 10pm on 19 August, Makepeace made a 999 call to North Wales Police, claiming to be still at her victim’s flat. She initially told the call handler her name was ‘Luchay’ – her middle name – but then said it was ‘Katie’, the name of Rothwell’s girlfriend.

She said she had stabbed Mr Rothwell because he was violent towards her and had beaten her, begging the operator to send help to her.

Police officers raced to the flat in Macclesfield and found Mr Rothwell, alone, dead on the kitchen floor. Makepeace was arrested in Prestatyn the following afternoon.

A post-mortem examination revealed he had died from a stab wound to his chest and Makepeace was arrested and charged with murder.

In police interview, Makepeace changed her story again and said that Mr Rothwell had picked up the knife himself on the day of his death as he had discovered his current girlfriend was unfaithful.

She said Mr Rothwell was going to kill the other man and she had tried to stop him but the knife had accidentally “gone into his chest”.

Makepeace denied murder and the case went to trial with the Crown Prosecution Service revealing a Home Office pathologist report that found Makepeace’s explanation of why the knife had gone into Mr Rothwell’s chest as “highly unlikely”.

The CPS also highlighted the fact that Makepeace took several hours before she told the police what had happened, lied that she was at the scene when she rang the police and also confessed to friends that she had murdered Mr Rothwell.

On Wednesday a jury at Chester Crown Court found Makepeace guilty of murder. She will be sentenced at a later date.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Rachel Worthington, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “Aurin Makepeace stabbed Steven Rothwell and then left him to die alone. She made no attempt to get any medical help for him.

“The reasons why she murdered him are known only to her. The jury have seen through Makepeace’s layers of lies.”