James Parker pleaded guilty in the Whangārei District Court on April 7 to new charges of sexual abuse against a young boy. Photo / NZME
James Parker pleaded guilty in the Whangārei District Court on April 7 to new charges of sexual abuse against a young boy. Photo / NZME
WARNING: This article discusses sexual abuse and may be upsetting to some readers.
A convicted paedophile and former school deputy principal, who was on the verge of being released, has had his sentence upped after another victim came forward.
James Parker’s latest offending has been described as more serious, ajudge noting it had a “sadistic flavour” and was “predatory and certainly controlling”.
The seven charges relate to two young boys he sexually violated between 2009 and 2011 – even using a taser so one would do as he was told.
Parker, 50, appeared in the Whangārei District Court today for sentencing but his final sentence posed significant issues.
In 2013 Parker was handed a sentence in the High Court at Whangārei of preventive detention with a minimum period of imprisonment (MPI) of seven years for offending he committed while teaching at Pamapuria School in the Far North.
Complaints began to surface about Parker’s behaviour in 2009 which went nowhere but he was given a police warning that he should stop having boys stay at his home.
By 2012, after mounting complaints, Parker was arrested and the principal was eventually sacked for failing to ensure the safety of the students.
Parker admitted to 74 charges of child sexual abuse on 20 boys between the years of 1999 and 2012. The youngest was 9 years old.
It was revealed Parker used his trusted position in the rural community to host sleepovers with boys, many of whom had disruptive home lives.
There were at least 300 known sexual incidents in what the Crown said at the time was “without comparison in New Zealand history”.
Kaitāia paedophile school teacher James Parker, then 38, at his sentencing at the High Court at Whangārei in 2013. Photo / NZME
The court heard the latest victims were also offended against during the same time period.
As was often the case, he had the boys sleep over and sexually violated both of them, one specifically.
Parker has been in prison for 12 years and first came up for parole five years ago, but has been declined four times.
Much of today’s sentencing discussion centred around the difficulty of determining how many more years he must now serve before being eligible again for parole.
Over the past decade multiple reports have been completed on Parker and the Parole Board was recently considering the possibility of guided release into the community.
‘The comments are concerning’
Crown lawyer Richard Annandale submitted, had these charges been before the court in 2013, Parker would have likely had an MPI of 10 years.
Annandale was critical of Parker’s level of remorse after Parker mentioned previously he could not remember these victims.
“The comments are the concerning aspect in a way that he justified or minimised the behaviour, whether he remembers it or not,” Annandale submitted.
“When one’s considering an end sentence, parole eligibility should not be before three years.”
Parker’s lawyer Steve Cullen submitted a statement from Parker that he was deeply aware of the harm he had caused.
‘It’s absolutely futile’
Parker said through his lawyer he was concerned about the impact of media coverage on his previous victims and referenced none had gone on to the victims’ notification registrar.
“He thought perhaps they wanted to put it behind them and move on and not hear about any more,” Cullen submitted.
Cullen also submitted the requirements of Corrections meant Parker was not able to access rehabilitation until his seven-year MPI had been reached.
Cullen said a new MPI would restrict his rehabilitation and the process would have to start again.
“It’s wrong, but it’s what the prison does ... It’s absolutely futile,” Cullen said.
‘Significantly sadistic flavour’
Judge Gene Tomlinson said the latest charges had a difference from others.
“The indecencies of [suppressed] are in my assessment, and indeed, have a more serious and significantly sadistic flavour.
“Certainly predatory and certainly controlling which I did not detect in the sentencing notes of Justice Heath when recounting your offending in 2013.”
Judge Tomlinson said the impact on the victims was extreme, robbing them of a full life because of his predatory behaviour.
He acknowledged Parker’s early guilty plea but said with his prior history, he had no chance of winning.
Parker was sentenced to eight years and six months’ imprisonment with no MPI.
“In the circumstances you present, I am satisfied the usual time frame for seeking parole on a sentence such as eight and a half years is entirely appropriate in the circumstances when balanced against all of the factors in your case.”
As Parker’s new prison term begins this week, he will be eligible for parole after serving one third of his sentence.
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.
