Former Tory MP harassed ex-wife while undergoing gender transition

A former Conservative MP harassed his wife while he was undergoing gender transition.

Katie Wallis, 41, known as Jamie before becoming Britain’s first transgender MP in 2022, admitted harassing Rebecca Lovell between February and March this year.

The former politician sent four unwanted phone messages and a voice note to Ms Lovell after the pair divorced last year.

Wallis, who served as an MP between 2019 and 2024, arrived late at Cardiff magistrates’ court on Tuesday afternoon.

Speaking only to confirm personal details and enter a guilty plea, Wallis told the court: “My preferred name is Katie, but my legal name is still Jamie.”

Narita Bahra KC, who acted for Wallis, told the court her client had tried to take his own life twice and had been sectioned twice in the past few months.

She said the “harassment without violence” of Ms Lovell had taken place while Wallis was struggling with mental health problems that included his gender dysphoria.

Arguing that Wallis had experienced a “psychotic breakdown” during a police interview, Ms Bahra said: “For the period of incarceration, he was doing bizarre things. The officers are trying to engage with him, but for the whole period, he is obsessed with crisps.

“The second part of the interview takes part in the cell. He is covering his body with a blanket and there is a bunch of rubbish in front of him. He doesn’t engage.”

At a previous hearing, Simone Walsh, prosecuting, said Wallis and Ms Lovell had been in a relationship for more than 15 years before separating in 2020.

“Following the victim informing the defendant of a new relationship, the defendant’s behaviour became harassing in nature,” Ms Walsh said.

First transgender MP

Wallis became the first transgender MP in March 2022, sharing a statement that made public his diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

He said he had “felt this way since I was a very young child” in an announcement that was praised by Boris Johnson, the prime minister at the time, and Sir Keir Starmer.

Wallis was fined £2,500 and disqualified from driving for six months after crashing his car and fleeing the scene in November 2021.

He had attempted to explain the crash through his diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and said he had been raped the previous month. 

However, the judge in that case said Wallis’s evidence was not “credible” and his actions on the night of the crash did not point to feeling “overwhelmed” or acting out of fear.

Wallis confirmed he had decided not to seek re-election in the Bridgend constituency at the end of 2023, although he briefly considered running for a different Commons seat.

Wallis was released on bail and the case was adjourned to July 14 for sentencing. 

A psychiatric report is to be produced that will “look at issues involving gender dysphoria”.