‘No one should be made to feel unsafe in their own home, and what Parker did to these women was not only repulsive, but extremely intrusive’
McCaulay Parker was jailed at Grimsby Crown Court(Image: Humberside Police)
A door-to-door salesman sexually assaulted two women who were home alone when he called. McCaulay Parker, 28, of Thanet Road, Hull denied the offences at a trial, claiming the women had “come on to him”, but he was found guilty by a jury.
At Grimsby Crown Court, prosecutor Michele Stuart-Lofthouse said the sex attacker checked his victims were at home on their own. Parker was first reported to police after a woman called her father in distress after a man had sexually assaulted her in her own home.
She told Humberside Police his name was McCaulay Parker and he had offered to do some fencing work at her home. When he knew her husband was out, he knocked on the door. When she answered he made rude remarks about her lips and then tried to forcibly kiss her putting his tongue down her throat and tried to touch her sexually.
The woman began screaming and he fled. Miss Stuart-Lofthouse said she called her father who responded immediately to her distressed appeal. Parker was later arrested and denied the offence.
While in custody and during interview, Parker denied all allegations put to him and he was subsequently bailed by the courts pending further investigation.
The following year, North Yorkshire Police received a report from a woman that a man claiming to be a door-to-door salesman had sexually assaulted her in her own home. Parker had grabbed the woman from the rear and tried to kiss her.
She was distressed and told her attacker she had to attend to her cat. But he followed her to her bedroom.
He then went outside to smoke a cannabis joint. The woman told him to leave and she went to a neighbour in distress.
Miss Stuart-Lofthouse read the victim impact statements from the two women who described their anxiety and trauma following the attacks.
Both said they felt fearful in their own homes. One said she felt “violated and sick.” The other said: “We are not toys to be thrown away.” She told how she had previously shown kindness to strangers but now did not trust anyone.
“You will never know the trauma you have caused. It has changed my life and I am now rebuilding the parts of myself that you have taken from me,” she said.
Judge Gurdial Singh praised their eloquence and courage in giving their statements. Mitigating, Julia Baggs said a psychological report had highlighted her client’s attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder which led to impulsivity. She said he was hopeful of a new start in life and gaining employment in the fishing industry.
Judge Singh said the defendant was on bail when he committed the second offence and the victim was particularly vulnerable due to her poor health.
He jailed Parker for four and a half years and said he posed a danger to the public because of the pattern of offending and the risk of further specified offences. He was placed on a further three-year licence period. He will serve at least two thirds of the sentence before being considered for parole.
An indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed which bans him from working door-to-door. He will also be on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.
After the sentencing hearing at Grimsby Crown Court, Police Constable Jessica Holland from Humberside Police CID said: “Parker had exactly the same MO in both cases, where he would prey on lone women, probing them to ensure they were single or home alone, before luring his way into their own home under false pretences, refusing to take no for an answer and then sexually assaulting them.
“No one should be made to feel unsafe in their own home, and what Parker did to these women was not only repulsive, but extremely intrusive. To then deny what he had done and force the two women to sit through a trial and relive what happened to them all over again, is not only inhumane, but spineless.
“In the North Yorkshire case, Parker took it one step further, behaving so nonchalantly and acting like nothing had happened by asking the woman if she wanted to get high with him after what he had just done to her.
“Whilst the sentence imposed today will not take away what the women have been through because of Parker’s actions, I am pleased he has been held accountable for his crimes and will now be behind bars to reflect on what he has done.
“We take all reports of contact and non-contact sexual offences extremely seriously, and we would encourage anyone who has been a victim of crimes of this nature to please come forward, when you are ready.
“We work with partner agencies and specialist services to offer support throughout the entire judicial process and will do everything we can to ensure perpetrators like Parker are brought to justice.
“If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual offences, please report it to us via our non-emergency number 101, attend your local police station with a friend, or someone you trust, or always call 999 in an emergency.”
Detective Constable Amy Sharrad, from North Yorkshire Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, added: “This is a particularly distressing and heinous case whereby Parker acted as a door-to-door salesman in order to prey on lone women in their own homes.
“Our homes are our safe spaces. Instead, Parker invaded their personal, safe space and caused a great deal of trauma in these two random attacks.
“Understandably, this has had a lasting impact on both women. The sentence does not take away what they continue to live with, but hopefully it helps to provide a measure of comfort and strength to move forward with their lives.
“I am pleased the jury saw through Parker’s lies, allowing him to be held accountable for his despicable actions.
“I commend both victims for their bravery right through from reporting to enduring the trial. It hasn’t just meant securing justice for themselves, but I hope it gives confidence to other victims to come forward, knowing that they will be listened to by the police and the wider criminal justice system will do everything they can to get justice for them.”
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