UK's first transgender politician appears in court charged with harassing ex-wife for moving on
The UK's first transgender politician has been accused of harassing her ex-wife after the spouse moved on with a new love.
Former Conservative MP Katie Wallis, who was previously known as Jamie Wallis, is charged with harassing her former partner, Rebecca Wallis, earlier this year — even after being released on bail, the BBC reported.
The 40-year-old ex-lawmaker was spotted arriving at a court in Cardiff donning a blue cardigan — complete with red nails and lipstick — to enter a not-guilty plea.
6 Katie Wallis, formerly known as Jamie, pleaded not guilty Monday to harassing her ex-wife earlier this year.
Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures
Wallis, who has two kids with the ex, allegedly started bombarding her with unwanted phone calls, texts and voice notes in February and March, prosecutors said.
The politician, who repped the town of Bridgend from 2019 to 2024, is also accused of repeatedly driving past the ex-wife's home.
The harassment kicked off after the couple, who had been together for more than 15 years, finalized their divorce in 2024, prosecutors allege.
6 The 40-year-old ex-lawmaker was spotted arriving at a court in Cardiff donning a blue cardigan to enter her plea.
Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures
6 She was arrested in February on harassment charges but was later freed on bail.
Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures
6 The harassment kicked off after the couple, who had been together for more than 15 years, finalized their divorce in 2024, prosecutors allege.
Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures
'Following the victim informing the defendant of a new relationship, the defendant's behavior became harassing in nature,' prosecutor Simone Walsh told the court.
'The frequency, nature and contents of the messages and voicemails amounted to harassment of the victim,' she added.
Wallis was arrested over the harassment on Feb. 28 — but continued sending messages to her ex after being freed on bail, according to prosecutors.
6 The conservative made headlines when she publicly revealed in 2022 that she was trans — becoming the first openly transgender member of the UK's parliament.
PA Images via Getty Images
The ex-lawmaker's attorney, however, denied the behavior was harassment — saying Wallis' mental health had 'spiraled' at the time.
'Dr Wallis was going through a very important stage of her transition process which was to come out full-time,' defense attorney Narita Bahra argued.
'The complainant took issue with that. She did not want Dr Wallis to come out full-time as transgender.'
'This involved announcing himself as a woman to the world and dressing as a woman full-time,' the lawyer continued.
6 Wallis, pictured with former British PM Boris Johnson, was Bridgend's MP from 2019 to 2024.
Jamie Wallis / Facebook
'She was so unwell and was not in a position where she had support from others — she was reaching out to her.'
The judge ordered Wallis to undergo a new psychiatric evaluation and adjourned the trial until June 17.
The conservative made headlines when she publicly revealed in 2022 that she was trans — becoming the first openly transgender member of the UK's parliament.
'I'm trans. Or to be more accurate, I want to be. I've been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and I've felt this way since I was a very young child,' Wallis said in a statement at the time.
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