AN inmate who has been in dispute with the Prison Service over transgender surgery has admitted threatening to kill two prison officers and assaulting another.

Marcia Walker, formerly known as Mark Walker, who is said to identify as a “trans woman”, committed two of the offences while serving a previous sentence in Frankland Prison, on the outskirts of Durham.

The 47-year-old inmate, now on remand at Durham Prison, appeared at a plea hearing on March 26 and admitted charges of making a threat to kill and assaulting an emergency worker, both said to have been committed on April 7, last year.

A further charge of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), over possession of photographs of children aged under 16, on January 29 last year, was also admitted at the same hearing.

The case was listed for sentence at Durham Crown Court, on Friday, when the defendant appeared via video link from the nearby prison.

Asked to confirm identity, the defendant replied: “Yes, I’m Miss Walker.”

Peter Sabiston, prosecuting, said he understood a further similar matter has been admitted by the defendant, at the magistrates’ court.

The magistrates committed that case, of making threats to kill another prison officer, on January 4, this year, to be sentenced at the crown court together with the matters previously admitted.

But another allegation of breaching the SHPO, which is being reviewed by the Crown, is due before magistrates on April 30.

Fiona Lamb, representing Walker, said the defendant was eager to be sentenced at Friday’s hearing.

Miss Lamb said: “I have spoken to the defendant and explained that in an ideal world sentence would be together for all offences.

“She doesn’t want to be in a male prison and would like to be sentenced today.

“If not, it could be adjourned until the beginning of May once we know the outcome of the allegation.”

Miss Lamb said that alleged breach is over an image of a child featured in a copy of a National Geographic magazine sent to the defendant in prison, by a charity.

She added that it would have been checked by prison staff before it would have been passed on to the inmate.

Judge James Adkin agreed to adjourn sentencing until May 4 and remanded the defendant to remain in custody.