The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Sex offender avoids jail over email to MP
Fantasist outlined perverted desires in message to SNP politician
A convicted sex offender who fantasised about raping and murdering children dodged jail yesterday despite sending an email to a Perthshire MP highlighting his perversions.
Sacha Parkin, of Atholl Street, Perth, sent Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh MP an email entitled “how the SNP can help reduce child sexual exploitation”.
In the message the 46-year-old spelt out his attraction to children, stating that he had fantasies he thought he couldn’t control.
He also claimed Ms Ahmed-Sheikh, her colleagues and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon were being “stupid” in their efforts to deal with sex offenders, and suggested they were doing too little to protect and help people such as him.
Parkin admitted at Perth Sheriff Court that on April 18 he sent an email message for the attention of a member of Parliament in which he outlined his sexual attraction towards children.
The court had previously heard how Parkin told police he dreamed of raping and killing children and was struggling to control his disturbing urges to the extent it was “only a matter of time” before he acted on them.
Solicitor Jamie Baxter, defending, said his client had been receiving recent psychological treatment which had helped matters.
Mr Baxter had previously said his client had sent the email to Ms AhmedSheikh as a “cry for help”.
Sentencing Parkin, Sheriff Gillian Wade re-imposed the terms of a community payback order, previously handed out in March.
It saw him banned from public parks and swimming pools and ordered him not to approach or contact children under the age of 17 for three years.
He is also not allowed to own more than one mobile phone or computer at any one time, and has been told not to access the internet. In addition, he will have to let his social work supervisor or the police know if he changes a password on any such device .
Parkin was also ordered to continue with his psychological treatment and put on the sex offenders’ register for three years.