Olympian claims jail sentence ‘excessive’
Former hockey Olympian Arthur Parkin has asked the Court of Appeal to reconsider his jail term for indecently assaulting a girl more than 30 years ago.
Parkin, 66, was found guilty of two charges of indecent assault of a young girl and this year was sentenced to one year and eight months in jail.
He had been on trial facing five charges of indecent assault against three girls between 1975 and 1983. He was acquitted of three charges.
His lawyer Aaron Harvey said yesterday the sentencing judge did not give sufficient discount for Parkin’s previous good character and that the offending was 37 years ago and there had been no further offending.
‘‘He went from being a wellknown gold medal-winning Olympian to a convicted and published child-sex offender,’’ Harvey said.
The judge had taken two months off the sentence as discount, when it should have been more like six months.
Harvey said Parkin had lost face and been removed from the hockey honours system. There should have been a further discount for his fall from grace and the publication of his name.
Harvey said Parkin should also have been given home detention. He had essentially rehabilitated himself.
Parkin admitted asking his victim – who was prepubescent at the time – to hold his penis.
His victim had walked from the lounge to the kitchen to get a glass of water when Parkin, who was exposed from the waist down, asked her to come and sit on his knee at the table.
He then took her hand and placed it on his penis.
Parkin claimed he was tired, exhausted and overworked from having a newborn baby, as well as hockey and school commitments.
Another incident took place on a couch at his home.
The victim said that Parkin indecently assaulted her on two separate occasions while she lay on different ends of the couch.
Parkin had brought back a gold medal from the 1976 Olympics.
Crown lawyer Merran Cooke said Parkin had still not admitted what he had done to the victim. She said no further discount would be appropriate.
The court reserved its decision.