News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

The victim of a female transsexual who walked free from court despite admitting abusing him as a child has spoken out about her "disgustingly lenient sentence".

Casey Horler, 24, has waived his right to lifetime anonymity to open up about the horrific abuse he suffered at the hands of Gina Owen, when she was a man known as Gareth.

Owen was employed as a taxi driver by the local council to drive Casey and other children to a special school in Somerset, when Casey was only 13.

During the six-month period of abuse, Gina made a teenage Casey tie her up in bondage sessions, urinate in her mouth and humiliate her by hitting her then-male genitals.

(Image: Roland Leon / Sunday Mirror)

Casey, who is expecting his first child with his wife in November, has decided to speak out after discovering Owen walked free from court due to a loophole in the law.

Owen, 61, admitted two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

But she was spared jail and walked free from court with a two-year conditional discharge when the judge admitted he had difficulty sentencing a transsexual because courses designed to help sex offenders reform were only available to men.

Casey, who bravely told the police about his ordeal two years ago, said he feels sick about the "pathetic" sentence.

Casey, who still refers to Owen as a 'he', says: "He pretty much got away with it. It's a total disgrace that this is the kind of justice out there for people like me.

(Image: SWNS)

"All I got was £500 in compensation and the judge said he couldn't impose a community order because courses designed to help sex offenders reform were only available to men.

"Basically Owen had a loophole in the law that he slipped through. It's an insult to all victims of sex abuse."

Now Casey, who is currently unemployed, wants the law to be revised to ensure transsexual and women paedophiles are equally punished for sex crimes against children.

"The loophole needs to be closed," Casey says.

"It's something that needs to be looked at. I know only a small proportion of the population are transgender, but because of this loophole Owen hasn't been able to be punished in the same way, and it would be the same for female sex abusers."

(Image: SWNS)

Speaking outside Taunton Crown Court after admitting the crimes against Casey, Owen described being "set free" by the judge.

"I am free - that is all there is to it," she said.

"I am free and I have walked out of court - what does that tell you?"

Casey says the comments have left him feeling sick and that coming forward ten years after the abuse was "pointless".

"What was even the point of reporting it?" he says.

"He has to sign the sex register for two years – that's nothing.

"He originally denied the abuse and dragged me through two and a half years of hell just to say he was guilty on the first day of trial."

(Image: Roland Leon / Sunday Mirror)

Casey was first persuaded to tell the police about the abuse when he wife, who does not want to be named, persuaded him it might help other victims.

"There still could be future victims," says Casey.

"He has been a given a green light by escaping custody."

Casey, who now lives in March, Cambridgeshire, attended a school for children with emotional problems in Somerset.

Owen would drive Casey back and forth from his dad's house to school when the abuse began.

Tragically, Casey blamed himself for the abuse because of his bad behaviour at school and still struggles to be around adult men.

He would be forced to take sick sexual photos of Owen in women's underwear and hit his then-male genitals with sticks and windscreen wipers.

"It was a really frightening time," Casey remembers.

(Image: Roland Leon / Sunday Mirror)

"He terrified me. He drove me to school around 15 times and the abuse happened around 10 out of 15 times because on those other occasions other children were in his car with us too."

Casey only managed to escape the abuse when he moved to another school.

"I worry about what could have happened if i hadn't changed school. It could have escalated and I don't know what I would have done in that situation.

"Maybe if it had of carried on I would have been able to tell someone what was happening."

Casey struggled to deal with the abuse as he went through his teens, admitting that he was a "naughty kid".

"But as things in my life got better, I met my wife and now we're expecting a baby – that has remained the one thing that is so bad," he recalls.

(Image: Roland Leon / Sunday Mirror)

"It still affects me to this day. I have never had any male friends. I won't be on my own with just a man – I won't see a male doctor, I won't sit in an interview for a job with just a man.

"It makes me angry and it makes me feel threatened. I can't communicate with other men.

"I didn't expect Owen to become a woman – he used to wear lipstick and women's clothing under his men's clothes. But I never expected him to have a sex change."

Child protection experts have also slammed Owen's lenient sentence, saying it does not reflect the seriousness of the crime.

Claude Knights, chief executive of the Kidscape child protection charity, says: "Such abhorrent experiences have long-term consequences for victims, and it therefore seems very reasonable to state that the sentence does not reflect the seriousness of the crime.

"This view is strengthened by the comments of the abuser after the sentencing.

"She declared herself free and able to walk out of court with few consequences.

"There is no sign of remorse and no indication that either the requirement to sign the sex offender's register for two years or the £500 compensation to the victim were seen as robust deterrents.

(Image: SWNS)

"We need to ask what message this sends out to others who prey on children and sexually abuse them."

The NSPCC adds: "This kind of activity can ruin childhoods, with the effects lasting into adulthood."

Judge David Ticehurst said in court earlier this month that he was faced with a difficult decision when it came to sentencing Owen.

He said: "There is no doubt that these offences were very serious.

"The victim who was exposed to your behaviour would have suffered some trauma.

"The problem is that I am afraid that a community order could put you in the path of abuse, and all of the courses run for sexual offenders are only available to men.

"I do not feel that either of those routes would be suitable for your particular circumstances."

Owen denied the charges at an earlier hearing but changed her plea on the first day of her scheduled trial after the wording of the indictment was amended.

The first charge relates to a period between May 1 2004 and August 14 2004 while the second charge relates to a period between August 14 2004 and December 31 2004.

No further details or an outline of the case were heard during the short hearing.

After accepting the new pleas, the judge sentenced Owen to a two-year conditional discharge and she walked free from court.

Owen, from Leigh, near Sherborne, Dorset, was also ordered to sign the sex offender's register for two years and pay £500 compensation to Casey.

"Now, I just feel angry more than anything," says Casey.

"I came forward after all this time to try and forget what happened to me and move on, and now it feels like there was no point.

"I have a little girl on the way and to know I am bringing her into this world is scary. What if something like this, God forbid, ever happened to her?

"You're supposed to teach your children that if something wrong in life or someone does something bad to you, then they'll be punished.

"But unfortunately it doesn't look that way to me."