Defendant denies dumping soiled adult nappies at children's nurseries

A transgender woman accused of dumping soiled adult nappies at children's nurseries has denied the offences.

Abbie Taylor, who also appeared on the court list as Martin Tarling, faces a series of charges relating to alleged activities around nurseries in South Tyneside between October 2022 and November 2023.

For her appearance at Newcastle Crown Court, Judge Stephen Earl asked if "Martin Tarling is now Abbie Taylor" and if her preferred pronouns were she and her.

Nick Lane, defending, said: "She has formally and officially changed her identity."

Taylor, 45, of Haymarket Walk, South Shields, pleaded not guilty to three counts of dumping bags of soiled nappies at three local nurseries.

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She also denied stealing clinical waste bags from one of the businesses and criminal damage to a fire escape and children's milk bottles.

Taylor also pleaded not guilty to breaching a criminal behaviour order imposed by Nottinghamshire Magistrates' Court in April last year, by being within 10 metres of a nursery without reasonable excuse.

The defendant also denies a charge of causing a public nuisance by committing a series of acts risking serious harm to the public.

She did not enter a plea to a charge of outraging public decency in a commercial bin containing soiled nappies.

A five-day trial has been scheduled for March 2025.