Man sentenced for historic sexual offences

Today, Friday 24th November, a man aged 81  from the Bangor area was sentenced to six years at Dungannon Crown Court for 12 offences including gross indecency, indecent assault and rape. 

The offences were committed between 1976 and 1983.

David Parkinson will serve three years in custody and three years on licence. He will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for an indefinite period and will also be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for an indefinite period.

Detective Sergeant Ciara Crozier said: “The victim in this case, who was a child at the time the offences were committed, suffered years of abuse at the hands of Parkinson. 

“I would like to commend this woman’s bravery for coming forward to bring him before the courts to answer for his crimes.

“We in the Police Service of Northern Ireland take all allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously. We have a team of dedicated Detectives who are determined to bring anyone involved in any form of abuse before the courts to answer for their crimes, no matter when they occurred. 

“As this case demonstrates, it is never too late to report sexual abuse to us, even if it happened many years ago. If you have suffered sexual abuse in the past, please tell contact police on 101, or in an emergency always dial 999.  We will investigate and we will pursue justice on your behalf.”