Gayle Newland: Woman accused of impersonating a man in blindfold 'sex attack' has conviction quashed

Gayle Newland, who was accused of impersonating a man to trick her female friend into sex. Photo / Cheshire Police

A woman found guilty of tricking a female friend into sex by using a prosthetic penis to pretend she was a man has had her conviction quashed.

Gayle Newland, 26, of Willaston, Cheshire, had been jailed for eight years over three counts of sexual assault, but appealed against the conviction at the Court of Appeal in London.

Ms Newland, who watched proceedings via video link from prison, wept on Wednesday as Lady Justice Hallett, sitting with Mr Justice King and Mr Justice Dove, announced their decision and released her on bail.

She was convicted by a jury of three counts of sexual assault at Chester Crown Court last year and sentenced to eight years in November.

Her lawyer argued on Wednesday that her conviction was "unsafe".

The appeal judges allowed her appeal and quashed her conviction following criticism of the trial judge's summing up.

Newland was sentenced in November, as she disguised her voice and had the complainant blindfold herself so she couldn't identify Newland as a woman.

In the previous trial, the court heard the defendant accuse Newland of creating a fake Facebook profile under the male alias "Kye Fortune", so Newland could build an intimate relationship with her.

They spent many hours on the phone and 100 hours in each other's company in hotels and the complainant's flat. The accuser still believing Newland was a man.

The pair had sex about 10 times until the complainant ripped off her mask and in disbelief saw Newland wearing a prosthetic penis.

Newland claimed her accuser, always knew she was pretending to be a man as they engaged in role play while struggling with their sexuality.

She said no blindfold was used and she did not strap bandages to her chest and wear a woollen hat and swimsuit.