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| Sunday, 6 June 2004 |
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Attempt to seduce Lankan boy via internet : Englishman jailed for two years by UK court by Panduka Senanayake A 66-year-old Englishman, who sought sexual favours from a teenaged Sri Lankan boy, was jailed on Wednesday in the first successful UK prosecution for so-called "sex tourism" following a successful `sting' operation by the Sri Lankan authorities in 2002. The man, a retired concert pianist who had posted a request for a young Sri Lankan boy on an internet chatroom Gay Teens of Sri Lanka, weeks before he travelled to the island with an opera company in October 2002 was exposed when his request was spotted by the Sri Lankan National Child Protection Authority, and an undercover officer answered it, posing as a 15-year-old boy prostitute. According to the `Guardian' newspaper, the Pianist, Brian Parnell, who taught dozens of pupils and performed all over the world during a 45-year career, is the first to be convicted under new laws in the UK to try to stop British paedophiles abusing children abroad. It said that Parnell was given a two-year sentence for attempting to incite an under-age male to commit buggery and gross indecency. According to the report, Parnell, who now lives in north London, with two long-term male partners used the internet name "Velvet Guy". He had asked for a "young, active Sri Lankan boy to have fun with", promising any respondent a "good time in bed". But his email was spotted by the Sri Lankan National Child Protection Authority, and an undercover officer answered it, posing as a 15-year-old boy prostitute. Parnell entered into an increasingly explicit email correspondence, sending the "boy" lurid messages and photographs. He had admitted sending the emails when Sri Lankan police confronted him at the Hotel Oberoi, but under Sri Lankan law, they could do little other than ask him to leave the country. The Sri Lankan authorities had reported the matter to the British High Commission, who had informed Scotland Yard, according to the Guardian. But under the 1996 Sexual Offences Act, UK police can now pursue British citizens suspected of committing sex crimes abroad. In March last year, officers raided Parnell's home, seized his computer and arrested him. Met detectives then visited Sri Lanka to gather evidence and interview witnesses, seven of whom testified at a two-day trial in April. Parnell denied the two charges but the jury found him guilty on both counts. Sentencing him yesterday at Wood Green crown court, in north London, Judge Kenneth Zucker said there was increasing concerned about sexual predators from wealthy countries corrupting children from poorer countries. The judge said Parnell's emails contradicted the defence claim that he thought he was writing to someone over 18, as well as making it plain he wanted sex with the "boy", and he was certain that only the time pressures of rehearsals and performances prevented the defendant from arranging to meet the "boy" in Sri Lanka. "It's a tragedy that at the age of 66, with your background, you now stand before this court," he told Parnell. "But the sentence reflects the gravity with which these offences are viewed and has to act as a deterrent." Judge Zucker also ordered that Parnell's computer be confiscated and that he be placed on licence for three years after his release. His name will be added to the Sex Offenders Register. Detective Inspector Neil Thompson said he was satisfied the sentence would deter other British paedophiles who thought they could abuse children abroad. |
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