It was a legitimate concern if a pre-operative, transgender woman was incarcerated with female inmates, Wong told the court.

She said female inmates were vulnerable as they were locked up in close quarters without alternative options, and therefore a transgender woman should not be held in a prison for women.

Despite being placed instead in an all-male institution, the Philippine national’s privacy had been protected, Wong added.

Prison staff had kept male inmates away from Recasa when she went to the toilet, the court heard.

“In a detention setting, certain rights provided for inmates could be curtailed for the sake of preserving custodial discipline and security,” Wong said.

Clive Grossman SC, for Recasa, earlier argued that his client was “extremely sensitive” in her transition from male to female and that the treatment she had received was “inhuman and degrading”.

Recasa, now 21, has since gone back to the Philippines after serving her time in the city.

She was said to have received hormone treatment since the age of 12 and had breast augmentation surgery at the age of 18.

She was subjected to humiliation when she was ordered to remove her clothing, including her bra and underwear, in front of male prison officers, Grossman said.

The barrister said Recasa was refused hormone treatment for almost eight months, during which time she was “traumatised” due to the development of male physical characteristics on her body.

But Wong argued that the treatment the inmate requested was special and that it took time for the prison authority to handle it and refer it to a relevant specialist under existing procedures.

Grossman said the treatment Recasa received breached her basic human rights.