Transgender woman, 71, killed partner, jury finds

Joanna Rowland-Stuart, pictured at an earlier court hearing, was ruled unfit to plead

A jury has found that a transgender woman killed her partner.

Joanna Rowland-Stuart, 71, was charged with murdering Andrew Rowland-Stuart, 70, at their home in Brighton in May 2024.

Following a psychiatric assessment, Ms Rowland-Stuart was deemed unfit to plea.

Following a trial of facts at Lewes Crown Court, a jury agreed that Ms Rowland-Stuart did commit the act and she was given an indefinite Hospital Order Under Section 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Ms Rowland-Stuart, who identifies as a transgender woman, and Mr Rowland-Stuart, known as Andy, had a civil partnership in 2006.

A post mortem concluded that he died from stab wounds and the trial previously heard that she killed him with a samurai sword.

She previously told police that she had acted in self defence at his flat in Lavender Street on 27 May 2024.

Andrew Rowland-Stuart, 70, was pronounced dead at the scene in Brighton

Recovered internet searches from Ms Rowland-Stuart's phone in the weeks before the death showed 14 results for swords, including replica swords, curved swords, samurai curved swords, Japanese swords and Japanese sword names, the court was previously told.

Ms Rowland-Stuart was ruled unfit to plead by Judge Christine Laing KC on Monday, so did not take part in the trial.

A statement released on behalf of Mr Rowland-Stuart's family said: "We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved with this case over the past year.

"To DC Anna Stacey for her care and communication with the family while we were in England and back home in New Zealand, and to Andrew's Sussex 4x4 family, especially Jason, who helped us immensely while we were there."

Det Ch Insp Alex Campbell, from Sussex Police, said: "Our thoughts remain with the family of Andrew and we want to thank everyone who has assisted us in this complex investigation."