David Parker 67

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A "deviant" pervert who had already been jailed for wanting to target young children for sexual abuse has been branded a "dangerous" offender after he reverted to the same "disgusting" behaviour.

Former Royal Navy serviceman David Parker, a convicted sex offender at the time, started chatting online to someone that he wrongly thought was the eager and willing mother of a 10-year-old girl but who was really an undercover police officer.

He brazenly and shamelessly told the fake mother that he wanted to have sex with her young daughter and that he would bring a cuddly penguin toy with him to keep the girl "entertained" while he abused her.

He had also been tricked the previous time by undercover police into thinking that he was talking to a like-minded sexual predator but he naively fell for the same trap again, Hull Crown Court heard.

Parker, 67, of Cherry Tree Lane, Beverley, admitted nine offences, including arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence, distributing indecent images of children and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Rachel Scott, prosecuting, said that, on February 21 this year, Parker became involved in online conversations with an undercover police officer, who was pretending to be a woman with a 10-year-old daughter.

Parker agreed to trade indecent images of children and he sent the undercover officer sexual images of children. He said that he would love to have pictures taken with the supposed daughter and that he would love to meet the girl and to have sex with her.

He sent a video of a male having sex with a child. Parker said that he would "play penguins" with the girl to keep her "entertained" and he sent an image of a penguin sex toy and discussed using them.

He said that he would love an eight-year-old girl. "Your girl is an ideal age," he told the fake mother. "He confirmed that he was serious about having sex with a child and it wasn't just a fantasy," said Miss Scott.

Parker suggested putting a gag on the girl's mouth. "He discussed meeting with the officer and her daughter," said Miss Scott.

"He discussed meeting the officer at a caravan, which he would pay for. It was agreed that the defendant would travel to the girl's home and stay over."

Parker eventually stopped the messages. He was identified and he was arrested at his home. He told police: "Not again" when he was arrested. He handed over a phone, which was registered with the authorities, but during a search, another phone was found hidden under a sofa cushion.

"That device had not been registered with his sex offender manager," said Miss Scott. Its deleted history included indecent images of children and extreme pornography.

During police interview, Parker admitted chatting online with adults about children but he claimed that he was "not stupid enough to meet them". He denied having a sexual addiction to children but he admitted that, in a fantasy world, he did.

Parker had convictions for 24 previous offences, including being jailed for 15 months in 2008 for possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

In May 2019, Parker, then living in Glebe Road, Brigg, was jailed for four years at Grimsby Crown Court for two offences of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence and four offences of making indecent images of children. He had been given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

During those offences, Parker was trapped in another secret police operation in which he wrongly thought that he was speaking to the stepfather of two children when he arranged to meet up at a motorway service station.

Parker was in breach of that order.

"This is a very serious breach," said Miss Scott.

Amber Hobson, mitigating, said that Parker did stop the most recent online sexual messages. "He acknowledges that his actions have been nothing short of disgusting," said Miss Hobson.

"He acknowledges that his behaviour is absolutely reprehensible. He is ashamed of what he had done.

"He never formed the intent to meet the person who he was conversing with and that's the reason that the messages stopped as he had determined that the conversation had reached a point that it needed to stop. He says that this was merely a fantasy.

"He was able to demonstrate good insight into the harm and ongoing harm caused by the distribution of that material. He had no intention of meeting the child." Parker had served more than 20 years in the Royal Navy.

Recorder Abdul Iqbal KC said of the fake 10-year-old girl: "Mercifully, this was a fictitious individual but you weren't to know that. You engaged in and started a conversation asking what age children she was interested in sexually.

"You agreed to trade in indecent images of children. You sent various indecent images of children. You have a deviant and unlawful sexual interest in children. You said that you would bring a cuddly penguin and also sex toys with that theme.

"You gave graphic detail about how you would engage in that sexual activity with that child. You believed that you were speaking to the mother of a 10-year-old child.

"You had every intention otherwise to progress the offence if it was possible to do so. There is a significant risk of serious sexual harm from you in the future."

Parker, who was already in custody on remand, was jailed for six years and nine months after he was described as a dangerous offender. He will be on extended licence of three years after his release from prison. He will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.