Alec Parkin

A dangerous paedophile from Nottinghamshire has been imprisoned for 14 years after attempting to meet a child in Bedford for sexual exploitation. Alec Parkin, aged 49, was identified as a high-risk sex offender who boasted about his prior convictions for child sex offences while evading police monitoring.

Parkin, residing on Baptist Lane in Collingham, Newark, engaged in online communications where he arranged a meeting specifically to sexually abuse a child. Despite being under police supervision as a registered sex offender, he used an alternative device to conceal his activities, bragging that this allowed him to continue without detection. Bedfordshire Police's Internet Child Abuse Investigation team uncovered these conversations after seizing devices from his home following his arrest in Bedford.

On arrival at the arranged meeting location, Parkin was apprehended by officers. He later pleaded guilty to arranging and facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. At Luton Crown Court on 21 May 2024, he received a nine-year custodial sentence, extended by a five-year licence period due to the significant risk he poses to the public.

• Parkin bragged about previous child sex convictions during communications.
• He was monitored by police but used another device to cover his tracks.
• Arrested in Bedford while attempting to meet the child.
• Sentenced for his dangerousness and potential for harm.

Emma Shipton, an investigation officer with Bedfordshire Police’s Internet Child Abuse Investigation team, commented: “As the judge rightly said at sentencing, Parkin is a dangerous sex offender who would have carried out these heinous acts on an innocent child had he got the chance to. He was caught red-handed in the process of arranging a meeting and is now going to be spending a good chunk of time in prison.” She added that individuals like Parkin will be pursued relentlessly to protect communities from sex offenders. The case was reported by Bedford Today on 22 May 2024.