Lauren Jeska

Jeska was born Michael Jameson to parents Pauline and Graham Jameson. Graham Jameson is a mathematician at Lancaster University and both parents are active in Lancaster Baptist Church. Jeska had younger twin brothers, Nick and Tim, however Tim committed suicide in front of a train in 2013.

Jeska went to Lancaster Royal Grammar School where he was a cross-country runner. He went on to Oxford University, where he studied physics, gaining a first.

In Easter 1998 Jeska came out to her parents as transgender, and had a gonadectomy in 2000. She went on to study gender studies at Leeds University. While at Leeds, she took up fell-running, finding immediate success, winning the Blackshaw Head fell race in 2008. She later joined Todmorden Harriers athletics club, and went on to win the 2010 Three Shires Fell Race, the 2011 Liverpool Half Marathon, the 2010, 2011, and 2012 English, and 2012 British fell running championships. After moving to Wales she joined Aberystwyth Athletics Club.

In June 2015 UK Athletics told Jeska that she would be required to provide blood tests to prove that her hormone levels were within normal female range, as there was no documentation for Jeska's 2000 castration. Jeska found this requirement distressing, and in March 2016 she attacked Knibbs, a former professional rugby player, with a knife because she feared UK Athletics would strip Jeska of her records and her eligibility to compete against female athletes. Tim Begley and Kevan Taylor, employees of UKA who came to Knibbs' aid, were also attacked by Jeska.

In September 2016 she pleaded guilty to attempted murder, plus two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Begley and Taylor, and weapons charges for knife possession.

On 15 November 2016 she was scheduled to be detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983, but the hearing was adjourned for a month pending further psychiatric reports. Jeska was found during these investigations to have autism.

In March 2017, Jeska was jailed for 18 years for the crimes, which severed nerves in Knibbs' body leaving him with restricted movement, difficulty eating, and limited vision in both eyes. It was revealed during sentencing that Jeska had twice asked for psychiatric help from the NHS prior to the attacks, but had not been referred for any treatment.

Jeska is currently serving her sentence at HMP Foston Hall, a women's prison.