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A transgender woman who was targeted by her neighbour in an attack has taken a stand against “bigots” who abuse her.

Katrina Harte, who had gender reassignment surgery six years ago, was verbally abused and then hit by a neighbour in what she described as random assault.

Arriving at her home in North Shields on April 20, the 54-year-old heard her neighbour Terry Melville shout at her from across the street.

Katrina said: “I crossed the road to find out what was wrong.

“He was clearly drunk and he basically attacked me. He was verbally abusive and the abuse was related to my gender.”

(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

Melville went on to hit Katrina, an offence he has now admitted at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court .

Katrina added: “It was completely out of the blue.

“It has actually left me shaken up and I’m not as outgoing as I was.”

After contacting the police, Katrina was reassured that the attack would be taken seriously.

“I cannot thank Northumbria Police enough. They went out of their way to get me support and help.

“I’m protected by the law and I’m using it to the hilt now.

"I won’t let anyone abuse me in anyway whether it’s verbal or physical”, she said.

Katrina has lived as a woman for a decade after realising she was different at the age of nine.

(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

The former Monkseaton High School pupil ignored her feelings and wed a childhood sweetheart, and was married for 14 years, fathering three children.

Although she says she received support from those closest to her when she came out, she was been the target of abuse among a minority in the community.

Last year, a suspicious package was sent to her home on Morwick Road sparking a major bomb scare.

Police cordoned off a section of the street in January 2016 while an Army bomb disposal unit was called to the scene.

Katrina said the package, which was destroyed in a controlled explosion, had contained pyrotechnics.

She also appeared in court last year after arming herself with a firearm for protection.

(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

There, she received a suspended prison sentence after being caught with a stun gun disguised as a torch.

She told police at the time she had been assaulted previously and said she would have used the weapon “if she needed to”.

Despite being a target for abuse several times since her transition in 2007, Katrina believes people have become more tolerant.

She added: “Being transgender is not a taboo subject any more but unfortunately there’s still some bigots out there.

“Those people have got to realise we are here, we are human, we breathe the same air and we have to walk the same streets.

“We have the right to go about our business - just like they have the right to go about theirs.

“Now the laws are getting stronger to deal with bigots’ comments and behaviour. It’s been a long time coming.”

Terrence Melville, 42, of Morwick Road, North Shields, pleaded guilty to assault by beating and threatening behaviour at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

He was fined £300 and told to pay a £30 victim surcharge and £100 compensation to Katrina.