A PERVERT living in Carlisle who last week admitted raping a child was previously prosecuted for horrific child sex offences in west Cumbria - when he had a different name.

Mark Parker’s sordid past came to light only after he had admitted two new historic sex crimes against a girl who was young enough to be at primary school.

At Carlisle Crown Court, the 57-year-old defendant was due to face a trail accused of raping the child and subjecting her to an indecent assault. He admitted his guilt before the trial began.

Carlisle MP John Stevenson said he was astonished that Parker has been able to cover up his past by changing his name after being released from prison.

After the defendant was granted bail, it emerged that Parker had previously served several years in jail for a string of appalling sex crimes against children - but when he was jailed for those offences in 2005 he was called Nicholas McKerrow.

The judge at the time imposed an indeterminate sentence in order to protect the public, and put McKerrow on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Despite the seriousness of his offending, in 2017, McKerrow was allowed to change his name. He has settled in Carlisle without any obvious way for local people to discover his disturbing criminal past.

The News & Star has established that Parker, now of Central Avenue, Harraby, Carlisle, was jailed in 2005 for 11 child sex offences.

At the hearing before Carlisle Crown Court in November of 2005, the judge was told the former Sellafield worker sexually abused eight children, both boys and girls.

Judge Alan Taylor said those offences - committed between 2001 and September of 2005 - were so serious because of their persistent nature and the number of child victims involved. The judge did not believe McKerrow realised the significance of his actions.

He said the defendant, then a 43-year-old married man, of Wasdale Park, Seascale, should not be released from prison until he convinced the Parole Board he no longer posed a risk to children.

Judge Taylor said McKerrow - now Parker - should serve at least four years in jail for his attacks on five boys and three girls, aged between seven and 13.

He served seven and a half years. His sentence included a ban on him working on his family farm, or ever working with children.

His barrister said McKerrow was horrified by his own actions, and remorseful. After his prosecution, he formally notified the authorities - as required in law - of his intention to change his name.

Mr Stevenson said he understood why somebody who had committed a criminal offence such as theft was allowed to change his or her name and rebuild their life, provided they had served their sentence and reformed.

But for people who are guilty of child sex offences the rules should be different, he suggested.

“This needs to be looked into very carefully,” said the MP.

“The default position should be that they’re not allowed to change their identity unless there’s a very good reason. You have to look at the type of offence involved; and where it involves children, or sex offences, and the person is on the Sex Offenders’ Register, they shouldn’t be allowed to do it.

“This was clearly a very serious case. “It’s something the Home Office or the Ministry of Justice should look at. It’s about public protection.”

At last week’s hearing, Parker was granted bail on condition he lives at his current address and has no contact with his victim. He will be sentenced on February 10.

Home Office response

THE HOME Office says that it can withhold the right of a convicted sex offender to change his or her name - but Cumbria Police said it does not have that power.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and there are measures in place to stop individuals changing their name in order to hide a criminal past.

“The failure of a sex offender to tell police of a name change within three days is a criminal offence with a maximum prison sentence of five years, and the Home Office reserves the right not to issue a document in a new name to a registered sex offender.”

Cumbria Police pointed out that the force can not prevent a sex offender from changing his or her name.

A spokesman said: “There is no legislation or powers that allow police forces to stop a convicted sex offender from changing their name. “

“However, a convicted sex offender has an obligation under the terms of their notification requirements (Section 83 of the Sexual Offenders Act 2003) to inform police of any change of name.

Failure to do this would be a breach of their notification requirements.

“Managing the potential risk posed by registered sex offenders within the community is complex area of business for all police forces. In Cumbria, we use every available power to manage and reduce the risk convicted sex offenders pose to the public.”

The Home office says that where the police are notified that a sex offender has changed their name, the offender’s records are updated on the Sex Offenders Register and the Police National Computer.

The UK's Disclosure and Barring Service aims to ensure that employers have the right information to help them protect those in their care.

There is no suggestion that Parker did not notify the authorities of his new name.