Trans woman who stalked her surgeon jailed

A transgender woman who stalked the surgeon who carried out her gender reassignment procedure, including making a "terrifying" threat to "batter" her, has been jailed.

Vivienne Taylor, originally from Wirral, stalked Tina Rashid - a senior consultant urological surgeon with a specialism in genital surgery for trans women - over four years.

A court heard 28-year-old Taylor developed a "fixation" on Rashid, even though they had only ever had a professional surgeon-to-patient relationship.

She was sentenced to 14 months at Isleworth Crown Court after pleading guilty to stalking causing serious alarm or distress.

Judge Giles Curtis-Raleigh said he was taking a "rare course" by imposing an "exceptional" restraining order without a time limit on Taylor, so she would have to go back to court in order to get it lifted.

During the stalking campaign Taylor turned up at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London saying she was under Rashid's care, the court heard.

She also sent unwanted emails to the surgeon suggesting they should "catch up", and tried to connect with her on LinkedIn.

Rashid recalled having "anxiety most days" thanks to Taylor's behaviour.

In her victim impact statement, Rashid described the extreme precautions she had taken, including carrying a personal safety alarm and personal safety app.

Describing one incident at work, she said: "I have considered very carefully whether I was in a fit state to operate safely and if I would have to wake that patient up before their surgery."

Rashid started wearing a cap or a hood to try to avoid being recognised, stayed late in the office, and paid £60 a day on Uber taxis to take her to and from work, as she was "worried about being followed".

She added: "I have young children living with me and I also fear for their safety."

The judge described the last message that Taylor sent in November 2025, shortly before her arrest.

He said it contained a "plainly terrifying" message, referring to Rashid and a colleague, saying "I'm going to batter both of you evil [expletives] and make you suffer."

The court heard Taylor had shown some "element of remorse" but the judge said: "Although you apologise at times, and say you understand the impact, you also sought to put blame on her for putting you in prison, which causes me concern".

He said Taylor had even tried to contact Rashid from prison, suggesting the surgeon should drop the charges and a call for restorative justice - which would involve contact.

The court heard Taylor, who had no previous convictions, had suffered breakdowns in her mental health and moved to London to get away from domestic abuse.

However, Judge Curtis-Raleigh said Taylor's offending had affected Rashid's "work, family and every aspect of her life".

"She has suffered very real fear," he added.

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