Mark Parker: Child rapist 'threatened to hunt down victim'

Mark Parker was previously known as Nicholas McKerrow

A rapist who told his child victim he would "hunt" her down and attack her again if she reported his crimes has been jailed for 12-and-a-half years.

Mark Parker, 57, targeted his victim more than a decade ago when she was of primary school age, a court heard.

She had known him under the name Nicholas McKerrow, which he later changed, relocating from West Cumbria to Harraby, Carlisle.

At Carlisle Crown Court, Parker admitted rape and indecent assault.

The court heard he had isolated the girl before he attacked her.

David Bentley, prosecuting, said: "He then said 'this is our little secret. If you ever tell anybody else, ever, about what's happened I will hunt you and find you wherever it will be, however long it will be, and I will do it again'."

His victim revealed the attacks several years later.

"Without any doubt whatsoever my childhood has been stolen because of that man," she said in a victim impact statement.

'Barbaric monster'

Branding his crimes "dreadful, terrifying, horrific" she described Parker as "incredibly evil".

Her mother, who also provided a statement, said he was a "barbaric monster".

Judge Peter Davies called the offending "wicked, exploitative, mean, perverted and corrupt".

It emerged the former Sellafield worker was jailed in 2005 under his former name after committing 11 sexual offences against a number of children.

He was released after serving seven-and-a-half years having convinced the Parole Board he no longer posed a risk.

Those offences were committed after he had raped the young girl.

Cumbria Police confirmed he had notified them of his change of identity in 2017, as required by law, and it had updated the sex offenders register immediately.