The BBC has received pushback for its coverage of a transgender woman who was sentenced to 26 years behind bars after she live-streamed herself blending a cat before fatally attacking a man.
Scarlet Blake, 26, filmed herself killing, dissecting and blending the body of a cat, and months later, in July 2021, targeted Jorge Martin Carreno, 30, as he walked home from a night out in Oxford.
Prosecutors said Blake left the Spanish national to drown to death in the River Cherwell after hitting him over the head with a vodka bottle and strangling him and was convicted of murder last week.
Coverage of her death has not sat well with some people, who have complained about the BBC’s decision not to disclose her transgender identity in its initial reporting.
Taking to the internet, one commentator said they could “barely breathe” after witnessing the broadcaster’s report.
Warning: The below video, embedded from social media platform X, includes a swear word.
In its initial reporting ahead of Blake’s sentencing last week, the BBC named the attacker but did not disclose her identity while detailing her crimes and potential punishment.
Several people who watched the report said they were shocked the broadcaster omitted the detail, among them political commentator Patrick O’Flynn, who shared his dramatic rebuke on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Writing on the platform, Mr O’Flynn said it was “so outrageous I can barely breathe!” after posting a clip of the coverage.
Another poster said they felt “furious” when noticing the detail was omitted, with another accusing the channel of “linguistic gymnastics”.
While others claimed that the BBC was right to use Blake’s legal gender in its reporting.
One said: “But if they have legally changed their gender, should the BBC not use the legal gender of the individual when reporting?”
Another added: “What relevance does the murderer’s sex at birth have? Was it a major factor in the murder? If not, why would you mention it?”
Blake’s gender identity has not been cited as a factor in the murder, with prosecutors claiming she had a “fixation with violence and with knowing what it would be like to kill someone”.
She had reportedly “boasted” about killing the cat to other people and told of “her desire to open up a person like her ‘little cat friend’”.
She was convicted of murder on February 23 and showed no emotion as she was found guilty of murder and sentenced.
Express.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.
