Fife teacher faces council hearing

A FIFE RE teacher spared a trial despite claims he plotted to have sex with a 14-year-old girl now faces the prospect of being thrown out of the profession.

Criminal charges against Iain Parkinson, 56, who taught religious and moral education at Kirkcaldy High School, were previously dropped after judges ruled he was the victim of entrapment by undercover police officers.

But Parkinson, from Corstorphine in Edinburgh, has now been ordered to appear before a General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) hearing during which a panel of his peers will determine his fitness to teach.

A full hearing will be held to consider allegations that Parkinson engaged in inappropriate online conversation with another person between May 25-30 2016, in which he made references to engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl and a dog.

Parkinson is also accused of attending the Travelodge in Falkirk on May 31 2016 with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl.

The latest development comes almost four years after High Court judges refused the Crown’s appeal against a sheriff’s decision not to go to trial based on the entrapment of Parkinson.

Police arrested Parkinson after an undercover officer posing as someone called “Lisa” was involved in a number of chat conversations on a swingers website with him.

During those exchanges, “Lisa” made reference to a fictitious 14-year-old daughter and said her daughter would be in the house at the time of an arranged liaison.

However, Parkinson’s solicitors successfully argued their client had been the victim of entrapment and the trial did not go ahead.

Parkinson had denied charges at Falkirk Sheriff Court of engaging in online conversations with others “for the purpose of gaining access to a 14-yearold girl” and travelling to a hotel “for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with a child”.

LOCAL businesses have labelled 2020 their “hardest year, both mentally and financially” after a survey found trading had plunged to depths not seen for two decades.

The new report, which comes from the Scottish Retail Consortium, claims 2020 was the worst year for businesses in its 22-year record, with overall sales falling by a dramatic 16.6%.

The plummet in trading has had a huge effect on many of Dundee’s retailers, with business owners claiming they are barely surviving.

Ross Turriff, owner of Jessie’s Kitchen and Turriff’s Garden Centre, said the year was the