Men who identify as women are being allowed to live in refuge hostels for female victims of domestic and sexual violence – even if they have not undergone sex-change treatment but simply say they want to live as a woman, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The move follows a radical change in policy by charities that receive millions of pounds in public money to run refuges for women fleeing abusive relationships.

In one shocking case, The Mail on Sunday discovered that a transgender ex-prisoner and convicted domestic abuser, who made chilling death threats to the mother of his child, has been allowed to come and go from a female-only refuge after he changed his name to Melissa.

Mark Addis, 44, was deemed such a threat to his former partner that he spent six months on remand in a male prison in 2014 after sending threats that he would kill her. One of his terrifying messages contained a picture of a dead body in a shroud.

Mark Addis, 44, was deemed such a threat to his former partner that he spent six months on remand in a male prison in 2014 after sending threats that he would kill her

A whistleblower has told the MoS that despite knowing about Addis's convictions, bosses at homeless charity St Mungo's still allowed her to make 'almost daily' visits to a women-only hostel.

Last night, Addis confirmed that she would come and go from the East London Women's Project, where she would visit her support worker and also attend social functions, such as summer barbecues.

One St Mungo's source claimed Addis had caused 'alarm and distress' to female residents at the women's shelter by behaving aggressively in front of them.

But managers at the charity are accused of ignoring concerns from staff because they 'slavishly' followed a politically correct agenda promoting transgender rights.

Another charity, Women's Aid, confirmed that its member services set their own policies and are already supporting trans women, in accordance with the Equality Act, in refuges and community-based services.

The charity said: 'We are committed to ensuring that trans people are treated with respect and do not experience discrimination and/or harassment on the basis of their gender identity.

'Our member services told us they assess every survivor, including trans women, on a case-by-case basis and if they are unable to support a trans survivor they will help refer her to another service.'

A recent report by LGBT rights charity Stonewall found the majority of providers for women-only shelters now allow transgender women to stay in their hostels.

Last night, our revelations sparked fury. Erin Pizzey, who set up the world's first women's domestic violence hostel in Chiswick, West London, in 1971, said: 'The most important thing in women's hostels is their safety. If you add a male into a women's environment, it will cause havoc.

'It's completely unacceptable to have men who have not gone through any medical transition entering women-only spaces.

'I believe homeless charities are betraying women by introducing this new policy.'

Karen Ingala-Smith, chief executive of the domestic and sexual violence charity Nia, said: 'Homeless charities helping men who identify as transgender is a good thing but it should not be at the expense of women's safety, wellbeing and recovery.

'Allowing a male who identifies as transgender with a history of domestic violence to enter what is supposed to be a safe space for women just shows utter contempt for women in that space.'

Our revelations are the latest in a series of controversies about transgender rights.

There was fury last summer when it emerged that transgender prisoner Karen White – who was convicted as Stephen Wood of two rapes on women – had sexually assaulted two prisoners after being transferred to a women's jail, despite not undergoing any sex-change surgery.

Further cases have included trans women being treated on women's hospital wards and being allowed into women's changing rooms.

There is a febrile debate over a proposed change in the law which would allow someone to 'self-identify' their gender without going through a medical or legal process.

A whistleblower has told the Mail on Sunday that despite knowing about Addis's convictions, bosses at homeless charity St Mungo's still allowed her to make 'almost daily' visits to a women-only hostel

Critics say that introducing such a legal reform would threaten women's safety and privacy because it would allow males who have not undergone any physical transition into female-only spaces.

Shelters that exclude men were first established in the 1970s to create safe havens for women who have been attacked by men. The majority of hostels have women referred to them by prison probation services and homeless charities.

The residents are helped by a support worker to sign up for housing benefit to pay for their rent.

Charity staff then help them to get into social housing, with residents typically leaving the hostel after 12 to 18 months.

The high-security refuges have strict rules banning all men from entering the premises, with their locations kept a secret.

Any male visitors, including contractors, have to be escorted by staff, who are all female. But even though the law has not been changed to allow men to self-identify as women, charities are now allowing men who live as women to visit their shelters.

St Mungo's, which operates 27 sites across London and the South of England, allowed Addis to gain 'almost daily' access to a women-only hostel in East London despite knowing about her criminal past.

Addis – then living as a man – was arrested in November 2013 for his hate campaign against Julie Lane, and spent six months on remand in a male prison before his case came to trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

He pleaded guilty to 'putting a person in fear of violence by harassment' and was sentenced in June 2014 to an 18-month supervision order, 40 days on an integrated domestic abuse programme, and given an indefinite restraining order to stay away from his victim.

A whistleblower told the MoS that the Stonewall Housing Association, which helps to house homeless lesbian, gay and transgender people, referred Addis to St Mungo's after he became homeless following his release from prison.

He was living in a hostel called the LGBTQ Project for trans, lesbian and gay people run by the same charity when he began to identify as a woman.

St Mungo's, which received £95 million in social housing grants from government bodies last year, then allowed Addis through the doors of its East London Women's Project, half a mile away.

A source said Addis and other transgender women were granted unfettered access to see their support worker and attend social events because the charity ran an administration office there. The whistleblower said: 'When the trans women clients came into the women's hostel and started acting aggressively, the women were absolutely terrified.

'Addis was in our trans hostel and coming into the women's hostel almost on a daily basis. She was coming into the women's hostel shouting, crying, threatening violence against the other trans women, but doing this in front of frightened, vulnerable women.'

The source said a staff member complained about Addis's behaviour and about the policy of allowing transgender women into the female-only hostel, but their complaints were 'shut down' by senior management.

One St Mungo's source claimed Addis had caused 'alarm and distress' to female residents at the women's shelter by behaving aggressively in front of them (Stock image of a St Mungo's hostel)

According to the source, the policy of allowing transgender women into the women-only hostel started in 2016 and was driven by Simon Hughes, St Mungo's regional director for East London.

The source said: 'The mantra was that trans women are women and they are vulnerable. Even if they have a criminal record, if they are transitioning, they are not a risk any more because they are women now. There was no room for debate. To even suggest you had an issue with that, that's it – you were out. It was really unsettling and terrifying for the women living at the hostel. These are women who are traumatised.'

Last night, Addis told the MoS that she and other transgender women living at the LGBTQ Project had regularly visited the nearby women's shelter and attended social functions such as barbecues.

Addis denied any aggressive behaviour towards the women residents of the East London Women's Project, adding: 'I could have lived at the women's hostel myself if I had asked the lady who was in charge. They would have allowed me because I live as a female now.'

Addis said the manager of the women's refuge was 'very nice' and allowed her to 'watch telly with girls,' adding: 'I got on with the girls. They classed me as a female.'

She said she had moved out of St Mungo's LGBTQ hostel in May last year when her lease expired.

But a source who has known Addis for almost 20 years claimed: 'Addis got chucked out of the other hostel for violence and anti-social behaviour.'

They said her relationship with her former partner was 'volatile,' adding: 'Women [in the hostel] would not be safe with Addis there.'

Last month, St Mungo's published a three-year Women's Strategy which stated: 'Trans women are welcome to our women-only services and spaces, in accordance with the law and our values as an organisation.'

The charity refused to answer questions about Addis last night, saying it does not comment on individual cases.

Nor would it say how many transgender women were living or working at its women-only refuges, and it declined to answer questions about its government funding.

St Mungo's provided supported housing to 1,216 women in 2017-18, according to its annual report, that said four per cent of its clients (48) were transgender. However, it refused to disclose how many of those are transgender women living in female-only hostels.

A spokesman said: 'St Mungo's is a trans inclusive organisation recognised by Stonewall as a top trans employer.'

Stonewall is the leading lesbian, gay and transgender rights charity, and has championed the rights of transgender women to access women's refuges.

Last year, the organisation interviewed managers from 15 organisations that provide shelters for female victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence across UK.

Its report – Supporting Trans Women In Domestic And Sexual Violence Services – revealed the 'majority of participants have supported trans women in their women-only services before… many have been doing this for some time.'

In its anonymised report, one shelter manager stated: 'If we have a client who wants to come in that identifies as female, they can come into our refuge or any part of our service.'

Another manager said: 'We are very clear from the start that we do have transgender [women] and women of different faiths and cultures and beliefs through our door constantly.'

Another said: 'We wouldn't exclude somebody from any of our existing services based on the fact that they were transgender.'

Another interviewee added: 'We would never ask for evidence of someone's sex or gender because we're open to women on a self-identifying basis.'

Women's Aid also confirmed that transgender women are living in women-only refuges.

A spokeswoman said: 'We are of the view that we want all survivors to get the support that they need.'

Last July, its chief executive Katie Ghose said: 'Women-only spaces provide a physically and emotionally safe environment that is vital to survivors' safety and recovery after experiencing domestic and sexual abuse.

'Women's Aid member services assess every survivor, including trans women, on a case by case basis in order to best respond to their needs. Our member services tell us that they are already supporting trans women in accordance with the Equality Act in refuges.'