Sexual sadist rapist Colin John Sparkes unlikely to be released after 30 years at Risdon Prison

A repeat rapist locked up for good at Risdon Prison rates “very high” for sexual sadism and should not yet be released to the Tasmanian community, an expert says. What a court heard>

Risdon Prison, where repeat rapist Colin John Sparkes has been locked up for three decades. Picture: Chris Kidd

A specialist in sexual sadism says a serial rapist locked up at Risdon Prison for almost 30 years still poses a danger to the community, and should not yet be released.

Forensic psychiatrist Rajan Darjee, who is the deputy specialty director of forensic health services in Tasmania, has prepared a report on one of the state’s most sadistic rapists – Colin John Sparkes.

Sparkes, now 65, committed one of the most disturbing and depraved rapes in Tasmanian history back in 1983 against a 17-year-old girl – and got away with it for a decade before he was nabbed with DNA evidence.

Sparkes was in the 1990s jailed for his “repulsive and violent” crime, and also served periods of imprisonment for raping a woman who was eight months’ pregnant, breaking into a Launceston home with a knife with plans to rape a young girl, and sneaking into a girls’ boarding school to cut up their underpants.

In 1997, he was declared a “dangerous criminal” under Tasmanian legislation allowing the state to lock him up for good, for the protection of society.

But due to legislative changes made in 2021, a prisoner’s dangerous criminal declaration must now be reviewed at least once every three years.

On Thursday, Dr Darjee told the Supreme Court of Tasmania that Sparkes’ declaration should not yet be discharged.

He said Sparkes rated an eight on the Severe Sexual Sadism Scale, a diagnostic tool with a highest potential score of 11.

“The score of eight on the sexual sadism scale is a very high score,” he told Justice Stephen Estcourt.

“I’ve rarely come across someone who scores eight.”

Dr Darjee said sexual sadism was rare, even among people who committed serious sexual violence.

He said only one to two per cent of rapists were said to have the condition, and only five to 10 per cent of repeat rapists.

Dr Darjee said even though Sparkes had told him he no longer had sadistic sexual fantasies, he had no way of knowing if that was true, or if that would continue once confronted with issues like “loneliness, isolation, stress” back in the community.

He said Sparkes had undergone no treatment for his sexual sadism in Risdon Prison, and that he would need at least two years of weekly treatment for his condition to improve.

Sparkes’ barrister, Rochelle Mainwaring, noted he had been a “model prisoner” while incarcerated.

But Dr Darjee said his experiences in prison would be vastly different once he was in the wider community.

“Whether someone is a model prisoner or not, it doesn’t really help you gauge whether or not they pose sexual violence risk in the community,” he said.

“He’s much more likely than the average person to commit another sexual offence.”

He agreed that people aged over 60 were much less likely to reoffend, but also noted Sparkes had a “range of risk factors” and identified Sparkes also suffered a “high degree of callousness” and “psychopathic traits”.

“The issue of his callousness is important. Sexual sadism is the driving force for his past offending, callousness is a very important disinhibiting factor,” he said.

“That is a particularly dangerous combination.”

Justice Estcourt has reserved his decision to deliver at a future date, but is likely to make an order for Sparkes to receive treatment over the coming years.

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Originally published as Sexual sadist rapist Colin John Sparkes unlikely to be released after 30 years at Risdon Prison