Humza Yousaf has confirmed that a trans butcher who abducted and sexually assaulted a schoolgirl is currently being held in a male prison.
The First Minister today described the crimes of Andrew Miller as "disgusting and abhorrent" and said his thoughts were with the victim and her family.
But the SNP leader refused to confirm where the beast will be jailed after sentencing - claiming it was a matter for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS).
Miller, 53, who is also known as Amy George, pleaded guilty to four charges – abduction, sexual assault, watching pornography in the presence of the child under the age of 13, and possessing 242 indecent images of children.
Miller is in the process of transitioning and was the proprietor of a local butcher shop, which had not been open for some months.
Speaking to reporters at the Scottish Parliament, Yousaf said: "First and foremost my thoughts are with the victim. This is a horrific crime the individual has pled guilty to. I feel for the family and I feel for the community involved as well.
"I think as a parent, it's one of the most traumatic things you could think could happen to your child. It's disgusting and it's abhorrent. Of course, it is a live case as sentencing is still to happen, but I know the individual involved is being kept in the male estate."
Asked if Miller should be housed in a women's prison, Yousaf replied: "No, in the male estate, where he currently is. But what you're asking me is to make a judgment on a sentencing that is still to happen and that would be inappropriate for me to do.
"SPS has protocols in place and those have been recently updated in relation to another well publicised case, so therefore I am confident in the SPS risk assessment."
Prison bosses were forced to review their policies for trans inmates earlier this year following an uproar over the case of Isla Bryson.
The double rapist, who was formerly known as Adam Graham, was initially sent to a women's jail after she was found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow in February.
The case ultimately led to an urgent review and a change in policy which sees all newly-convicted or remanded transgender prisoners initially placed in jails according to their birth sex.
Bryson's case followed the UK Government's decision to block gender reform legislation passed by a majority of MSPs at Holyrood.
Shona Robison, the SNP minister who steered the bill through the Scottish Parliament, previously claimed there was "no evidence that predatory men have ever had to pretend to be anything else to carry out abusive behaviour".
Asked if she stood by her comments today following Miller's admission of guilt, she said: "We should not take these cases of offenders and imply this is an issue for the trans community.
"Clearly this is a predatory man who has carried out predatory behaviour and should be treated as such."
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