A TRANSGENDER woman who threatened to torture, rape and murder her mother, has been jailed for five and half years with the final 12 months suspended.
The sentence, imposed by Judge Tom O’Donnell at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court today, was backdated to May 9, 2022, when the defendant, Barbie Kardashian, was convicted by a jury after a four-day trial.
Today, Gardai told the court that they continue to have grave concerns about Ms Kardashian’s “motivation to carry out the threats”.
Detective Garda Niall Fitzgerald, Roxboro Road Garda Station, said Gardaí believe Ms Kardashian continues to “pose a significant threat to those she has made threats towards, as well as to the wider public”.
Ms Kardashian, 21, of no fixed abode but originally from the Midlands, had 15 previous convictions including for threats to kill, sexual assault, assault causing harm, assault, and causing criminal damage to property.
The court heard the defendant was born a male named Gabrielle Alejandro Gentile, and that she later changed her name by deed poll to Barbie Kardashian.
In 2020, she was granted a gender recognition certificate by the Department of Social Protection, in recognition of her identifying as female.
The court heard Ms Kardashian is currently on a waiting list to be assessed for “appropriate medical treatment” in relation to her gender.
She was placed in care form the age of nine, and later told gardai and social care workers that she had been sexually and physical assaulted when she was a child.
From the age of 12 ,she was placed in the care of the State on foot of a High Court special care order.
While in Coovagh House, a residential care facility in Limerick City for children with high risk behaviours, she threatened to kill or cause serous harm to her mother as well as to a staff member involved in her care.
Following her trial last May, a jury found her guilty of seven threats against her mother. She was found not guilty of four additional charges of threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Michael Mannix, a member of staff at Coovagh House.
Ms Kardashian’s barrister, Mark Nicholas SC, said Mr Mannix gave evidence during Ms Kardashian’s trial that he did not take the threats seriously, and did not seek to be removed from Ms Kardashian’s care roster.
Ms Kardashian thanked the judge before being led away to the women’s section of Limerick Prison where she will serve out her sentence.
The judge ordered that she must adhere to a number of strict obligations for a period of two years after her release and if she did not follow these, he may enact the suspended part of her sentence.
