A former British concert pianist in his 60s has become the first person to be convicted under new “sex tourism” laws.
Brian Parnell, 66, of Haringey, London, placed an advert on a website called Gay Teens of Sri Lanka and e-mailed explicit messages and images to a 15-year-old boy, Sky News reports.
But when he went to Columbo to met the child, in October 2002, he was confronted by police. The “teenager” was in fact a child proection officer.
Although Parnell had not committed an offence under Sri Lankan law, he was subsequently arrested at his home and prosecuted under new UK laws which allow cases to be brought against UK citizens when offences are committed in other countries.
Yesterday he was jailed for two years at Wood Green Crown Court and placed under licence for an extended period of three years, as well as being put on the Sex Offender register.
At an earlier hearing he had been found guilty of attempting to incite a male under the age of 16 to commit a serious sexual act and attempting to incite a male under the age of 16 to an act of gross indecency.
