Transgender British Runner Admits to Attempted Murder of Athletic Official

A champion female British trail runner has pleaded guilty this week to the attempted murder of a UK Athletics official last spring at an athletics stadium in Birmingham, England. She allegedly attacked the organization’s human resources director because it was about to be revealed that she had been born a man.

Stories about Lauren Jeska’s “savage” knife attack were released in court this week. According to a story in The Guardian, Jeska, 41, a three-time English fell-running champion and 2012 UK fell-running champion, admitted trying to kill Ralph Knibbs, the head of human resources and welfare at the sport’s British governing body as well as a former professional rugby player.

The attack took place after British Athletics officials in March threatened to strip her of her titles when it emerged she was born a man, The Daily Mail reported.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed Jeska was a ‘transgender athlete’ following her guilty plea to attempted murder.

According to West Midlands police, officers were called to the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, the headquarters of UK Athletics, just before 10:30 a.m. on March 22 after reports that a 51-year-old man had been stabbed in the head and neck, suffering “life-threatening injuries.”

She allegedly attacked him in the head and neck with two six-inch kitchen knives and had a third blade—a bread knife—stashed in her bag during the “premeditated” and “savage” attack, according to Birmingham Crown Court transcripts.

Appearing via videolink at Birmingham crown court on Sept. 23, Jeska also pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm on two other men.

Tim Begley and Kevin Taylor, who also work for UK Athletics, had stepped in to help Knibbs as he was attacked. Their injuries were described in court as “not of the most serious order.”

Jeska pleaded guilty to further charges of possession of knives in a public place—a 12cm kitchen knife and 13cm kitchen knife—but she denied possessing a bread knife which had been left in a bag before the attack.

Jeska was previously listed as a member of Todmorden Harriers on the West Yorkshire-based club’s website.

MORE: The Guardian