Man jailed for killing wife after she discovered he was a paedophile

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A man has been jailed for life for murdering his partner after she confronted him over his sexual interest in a child.

Adam Parkin, 35, was sentenced to life in prison for stabbing his wife Julie Parkin, 39, to death in a frenzied attack in their home in Sunderland.

The attack occurred in June after she discovered he had a sexual interest in a child and had made indecent videos.

The Crown Prosecution Service worker was jailed for life at Newcastle crown court on Friday with a minimum term of 23 years and the judge also imposed a sexual harm prevention order as part of the sentence.

The court heard Parkin had packed a suitcase to leave the marital home after being confronted by his wife but instead “snapped”.

He grabbed a 20cm-long kitchen knife and stabbed her 23 times. He dragged the body into the kitchen where he left her face down with the tip of the knife lodged in her skull.

Parkin then also attempted to murder another person, who cannot be named, who said in a victim impact statement: “I was forced to fight for my life.”

He then sped off in the family Mazda and drove to a police station where he confessed.

The court heard that Parkin later told police: “She was so sad when she found out what I really am. I should have killed myself. What is wrong with me? There is something wrong with me.”

After the sentencing, DCI Lisa Theaker said: “Outwardly Julie and Adam Parkin had what has been described as a happy marriage. However, behind the scenes the marriage was characterised by what has come to be called coercive control with Adam Parkin controlling significant aspects of Julie’s life.

“Coercive control tends to get worse with time and can escalate into violent abuse and, as with Julie, even murder.”

Investigating officers found search terms on his computer such as “Cambodia child abuse”, “teacher sexually assaulted” and “teacher viewing porn”. They also found three indecent videos on his phone.

Detectives found Mrs Parkin’s computer had accessed pages such as “what to do if you don’t feel loved enough in your relationship”, “top five signs your husband is demanding and controlling” and “fight for your marriage when your husband is emotionally distant from you”.

A statement from the family of Julie Parkin, a primary school teacher, read: “This has been the hardest year of our lives. We still cannot comprehend what has happened or why Adam killed our beautiful girl.

“For us now, as a family we have to try and figure out how we move on from this. We have to be strong together for the children as they are our absolute priority now. We want to be able to continue the unconditional and devoted love and support Julie always had for them and always keep their Mam alive in all of our hearts and memories.”

Additional copy provided by agencies