Carlos Delacruz (pictured outside court at an earlier hearing) refused to allow the women to see him naked and always performed in bed with the lights out

A transgender man with no penis has been jailed for three years after tricking two women during sex by using an unknown object while the lights were out.

Carlos Delacruz, 35, was in a relationship with the women at separate times when he pretended to have sex with them by using a prosthetic penis.

Both victims, who cannot be identified due to legal reasons, were said to have suffered 'extreme pain' during intercourse and also suffered from thrush afterwards.

Delacruz, from Banknock, near Falkirk, pleaded guilty to penetrating both women with an unknown object without their consent at two addresses in Edinburgh between May 2013 and May 2017 when he appeared at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month.

He returned to the dock yesterday where he was jailed for three years and handed a five-year non-harassment order against both women. Sheriff Alison Stirling also placed Delacruz on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

At the previous hearing, the gender of Delacruz had been withheld as he wanted to reserve his full mitigation to the sentencing in September.

Defending solicitor Cameron Tait told the court his client was a Spanish national and had been born female in Madrid in 1983.

Mr Tait said his client studied for a degree in Mississippi in the US before moving to Scotland in 2010 to look for employment.

Delacruz had developed 'a male appearance' when he was aged eight before officially changing his name to Carlos when he turned 16.

Delacruz's gender is now officially recognised as male and his gender is stated as male on his birth certificate, passport and Spanish identity card though he has not going through the full transition to male.

Mr Tait also told the court Delacruz had used a prosthetic penis during sex with the two women and that 'he considers it to be part of him'.

The lawyer added that Delacruz is currently in a long-term relationship with a woman and that she is fully aware and consenting to the use of the prosthetic penis he uses during sex.

Sheriff Stirling told Delacruz he had caused 'physical and psychological harm' to both women by repeatedly sexually assaulting them with 'a flesh and blood penis' over the length of their relationships.

The sheriff said the first victim was 'made to feel like it was her fault' she was not falling pregnant to Delacruz and that 'she now suffers flashbacks and panic attacks' due to the incidents.

Sheriff Stirling, who read the victim impact statements, said the woman 'now feels dirty and used' and that she was forced to move house to get away from him.

This is while the second victim was said to have 'bled for days' after having sex with Delacruz around ten times over an eight-month period and currently suffers from 'difficulty with sleeping and eating'.

The court was previously told how Delacruz had fooled the women after entering into long-term relationships with them by using the prosthetic when he had sex with them.

Both women said they believed Delacruz had a real penis, even though he refused to allow them to see him naked and always performed in bed with the lights out.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court (pictured) was told both women believed that Delacruz had a penis

Fiscal depute Kirsten Cockburn told the court Delacruz had been in a relationship with both women at separate times between May 27, 2013 and May 14 last year.

Ms Cockburn said: 'The accused was in a relationship with one of the women between May 2013 and January 2016 and they first had sex in May 2013.

'She believed she was being penetrated by his penis. The accused does not have a penis. She knew he was self-conscious about his body and always wore a t-shirt.

'[On one occasion] the accused turned his back [while in bed together] and she heard him with a [condom] wrapper. The accused turned around and inserted his penis into her.

'During intercourse he would hold on to the base of the penis with his hand.'

The fiscal added Delacruz and the woman would have sex around once a month despite her suffering 'extreme pain' and only being allowed to touch his body 'over his clothing'.

'During their relationship the woman continued to believe he had a penis', the fiscal added.

The couple split up in January 2016 and the woman informed the police in May that year after she learned Delacruz had been lying to her and did not have a penis.

Delacruz then began a second relationship with another woman in August 2016 after they met at work and after two months of dating they moved in together.

The second victim also 'believed Delacruz had a penis' and the couple always had the lights off during when they had sex.

She also suffered 'extreme pain from penetration' during lovemaking and on the first occasion had to tell Delacruz to stop as she was bleeding.

The couple then had sex around ten times over the course of their nine-month relationship.

The relationship failed in May 2017 due to 'financial matters' the couple were having and the court was told the woman discovered Delacruz's sordid secret the following month and decided to call in the police.

Ms Cockburn said during a subsequent police interview Delacruz made no comment and that he was medical examined while in custody and it was 'found he did not have a penis'.