A transgender woman was brutally beaten to death by a man who had chatted her up in the middle of the street - before realising she was once a man.

James Dixon, 25, admitted to first-degree manslaughter just moments before he was due to stand trial over the death of 21-year-old Islan Nettles.

He told police in a written confession that he beat his victim into unconsciousness after he asked her if she was transgender.

After he and pals stopped to chat up the group of women on Eighth Street in New York, Dixon then “asked the one I was talking to if she was a guy”.

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Victim: Islan’s mother holds up a photo of her dead daughter (Mic)

Dixon pushed Islan away after she said yes, before punching her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

The impact of her head smashing the pavement was said to be so severe that she suffered a serious brain injury.

Dixon then continued to beat her while she was lying on the floor and she died five days later in hospital.

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Justice: Critics slammed the length of Dixon’s sentence (Mic)

In an attempt to explain his actions, Dixon wrote: “A couple of days before this incident, I got fooled by a transgender and this could have led to this incident, [this] blind fury.”

Dixon was jailed for 12 years for the attack, that took place in August 2013.

Islan’s aunt blasted the length of the sentence, saying: “It’s not enough time. That’s not fair at all. My nephew is dead.”

Top pic: Vibe/Mic