A TRANSSEXUAL who was left “half man, half woman” after being refused breast implants on the NHS has been granted legal aid to sue health chiefs.

Miranda Lee, 40, formerly Raymond Harwood, had a partial sex change last year at Charing Cross Hospital in London.

But afterwards she was told there was no money available for the breast augmentation needed to complete her transformation.

Despite this setback Miss Lee, from Southend, has continued to fight the decision, claiming she has been left half man, half woman and is suffering mental health problems and taking anti-depressants as a result.

Now Miss Lee has been given legal aid to take the matter through the courts and she is confident the decision will be overtuned.

She said: “It will cost the NHS more money if they don’t settle out of court.

“I just want my operation, so if they give me that then they will avoid court, but if they don’t I will fight it all the way to the High Court and demand compensation as well for all the grief this has caused me.

“They were aware of the high number of suicides among people who haven’t had their gender operations completed, but they still turned me down.

“They don’t understand how it feels to be left half man, half woman.

“I am not going to stop until I have my op.

“They should do top and bottom, not just half. I have been told by my solicitors that it will all be dealt within months.”

Unemployed Miss Lee, who has lived as a woman for two years, underwent £60,000 worth of surgery last July, paid for from a shared primary care trust budget set aside for specialist commissions.

Viv Barnes, associate director of corporate governance for NHS South East Essex, said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases.

“However, we have an appeals process in place for patients who are unhappy with the outcome of a special cases panel.

“Once the appeals process has been exhausted, a patient who is unhappy with the outcome of the appeal is at liberty to seek legal advice and proceed accordingly.”