A transgender woman known as one of Ireland’s most feared criminals, who’s had no hormone treatment or surgery and with a track record in vicious assaults against women, has come to attention once more in the Irish media. The woman in question is Barbie Kardashian, who was remanded in the women’s only section in Limerick prison, after being convicted of various offences.
Here we breakdown what is known about Barbie, a woman that has threatened to rape and kill her mother along with others, adding to offenses that involve violent assaults and intimidation.
Who is Barbie Kardashian
Barbie was born in December 2001, as Gabrielle Alejandro Gentile, an only child to immigrant parents from Venezuela. Born as a male, she identified as a woman in her early teenage years and has had a history of violence and erratic behaviour that has seen her spend most of her life in state care.
What do we know about Barbie Kardashians upbringing and history
According to court documents, limited information is available about her early childhood, except that Gabrielle, as he was then known, was born into a household marked by extreme depravity and domestic violence, where his parents were engaged in a sadomasochistic relationship.
Some of the traumatic impacts from his upbringing, according to court documents and welfare reports include:
- His father compelling him to witness the sexual and physical assault of his own mother at a very young age.
- Being denied the opportunity to be breastfed or cared for as a baby, under threat and demand by his father.
- Likely abuse of various kinds at the hands of his father.
- Becoming his father’s “apprentice” and actively participating in the ongoing abuse of his own mother.
His mother ended up seeking refuge in a women’s shelter in 2010, due to the ongoing abuse. Despite Gabrielle participating in the abuse, his mother took him with her to a care home, after finally building up the courage to leave.
In 2012, when Gabrielle was 10 years old, and less than 2 years after moving to a shelter, he violently attacked his mother. He was then taken into state care. After 13 weeks in his first care placement, he was moved “due to an escalation in aggressive behaviour.” His next placement in foster care lasted nearly a year, terminated once again due to aggressive behaviour.
In early 2015, before reaching 13, Gabrielle had moved from foster care to assisted residential homing. The first placement ended due to escalating aggression. In June 2015, his second placement broke down after he attacked a staff member and displayed “extreme and excessively sexualized behaviour towards female staff.” This marked a shift in progress reports, where Gabrielle’s behaviour was described as both violent and, for the first time – of a sexual nature. According to such reports, staff felt Barbie’s “physical assaults had a premeditated feel”, and that he only ever attacked female staff or housemates.
In 2014, when Gabrielle was 14 years old, he refused to attend school, which finalised his formal education.
In 2015 Gabrielle was sharing a house with a transgendered person and had begun to wear makeup. It was around this time that he identified as a female. (Note that from here on we refer to Gabrielle as Barbie.)
In 2017 Barbie underwent assessment under supervision by the Irish state, at England’s Tavistock clinic, which specialises in transgender adolescents. The evaluation by clinicians noted that while Barbie exhibited classic signs of gender dysphoria, her emotional response seemed rehearsed, lacking genuine impact, casting doubts on her claims. The assessor highlighted Barbie’s extensive research in the area, making diagnosis challenging. The report described Barbie as constantly poised for aggression, posing a high risk to others. She was characterised as controlling, callous, and manipulative, using violence and sexual aggression for power and control.
In 2018, Barbie attempted to kill a social worker, adding to a string of previous assault and criminal damage charges. During a car journey with two care workers, Barbie threatened the female driver, stating, “I am going to kill you,” before attempting to gouge out her eyes. She also pulled out clumps of hair, biting, and clawing at her face and eyelids. The social worker managed to stop the car and call the Gardaí for assistance.
Barbie, after being arrested, admitted to taking pleasure in the victim’s suffering, expressing disappointment at not killing her and revealing plans to harm other staff members. Following the incident, Barbie was detained at Oberstown Children Detention Campus, where she made repeated threats of self-harm and suicide. A risk assessment by Professor Harry Kennedy suggested that Barbie’s suicide threats were manipulative, aimed at gaining compliance for gender reassignment referrals.
Professor Kennedy assessed that Barbie’s behaviour was unlikely to change in the short to medium term, indicating a continued risk of assault. He recommended that Barbie be held accountable for any assaults through legal proceedings and emphasised the necessity of a secure care placement tailored to her needs. He stressed that this care should not be provided in a hospital setting.
In late 2019, while still being detained, Barbie disclosed to a social worker her ongoing desire to commit murder and rape, finding pleasure in these thoughts. This was, in addition to various reports of how she intended to torture and kill her own mother. Concerns escalated to the extent that the Gardaí Public Protection Unit was briefed due to fears surrounding Barbie’s potential actions upon leaving state care.
Eight weeks before her birthday, during a court hearing, it was reported that there had been minimal progress in addressing her behaviour, with serious concerns raised about the risk of someone being fatally harmed. Tulsa, the child protection agency in Ireland, attempted to secure suitable accommodation for Barbie, but she refused any facility with male staff, despite expressing violent intentions towards female staff. Barbie’s mother also submitted an affidavit expressing profound concern for her own safety, a concern validated by Barbie’s recent arrest for threatening her mother’s life. Her mother had also been warned of threats to her life by police.
In 2020, a nationwide bulletin was issued to Garda stations regarding a “homicidal teenager” set to be released into the community after the High Court determined there was no legal basis for continued detention. The bulletin highlighted the teenager’s repeated expressions of intent to rape and murder women, noting that the teenager’s mother had fled her home for safety based on Garda advice.
Later that same year, Barbie was taken into custody for threats to kill two people. Reporting on this was restricted, and details of this case are scarce.
In 2022 she was in trouble once more, this time for threatening to torture, rape and murder her mother. It took another year before she was convicted of this, resulting in a prison sentence of 5 and half years, with the final year suspended.
In late 2023, Barbie was transferred from the female section of the prison to a new section within the prison, although she is confined to a completely secure area, and believed to be monitored by numerous male prison officers at all times, and never mixing with the general population.
In April 2024, Barbie was in front of the courts once more, for 4 different threats to kill others from the previous year alone. This case was adjourned and remains before the courts.
Where is Barbie Kadashian now?
Barbie is believed to be housed under restrictive conditions at Limericks prison, although no longer in a women only section. She is kept in solitary confinement due to the threats and danger she poses.
What do the Irish public think of Barbie Kadashian being housed in a female only prison?
Under Irish law Kardashian is a recognised female, after identifying as a woman. She therefore, could not be moved to a male facility. This did present challenges for the Irish government and caused a lot of debate on such scenarios, with new laws eventually passed.It was Minister for Justice Helen McEntee who sanctioned Barbie Kardashian to be placed in a female only section in the first place, while other government members and politicians spoke out against the ruling, including Peadar Tóibín, Party leader of Aontú. You can find out more on this here.
