BBC producer turned interior design guru, 45, who sold crystal meth to friends attending chemsex parties at his flat in enterprise dubbed ‘Changing Rooms on drugs’ is jailed for 21 months
- Alexander Parkin won nine Sony awards for his work as a producer at the BBC
- He ‘befriended clients before inviting them to parties and selling chemsex drugs
- Parkin, who now works as an interior designer, was jailed for 21 months today
A former BBC producer has been jailed for selling crystal meth to clients of his interior design business in an enterprise dubbed ‘Changing Rooms on drugs’.
Alexander Parkin won nine Sony awards for his work with the BBC and worked on the popular Radio 3 show Late Junction.
The 45-year-old, who now runs his own interior design business, stashed 123 grammes of the class A drug around his flat in Kennington, southwest London.
Kingston Crown Court was told he befriended clients before inviting them to his parties and selling chemsex drugs at ‘cost prices’.
Parkin was first convicted of drug dealing at the Old Bailey in 2016, when he admitted selling the Class C drug Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) to celebrity barrister Henry Hendron, 40.
Former BBC radio producer Alexander Parkin (pictured in 2017) was jailed for 21 months today after he admitted possession with intent to supply and being concerned in the supply of crystal meth
Celebrity barrister Henry Hendron (pictured in 2016) bought £1,000 of Mephedrone and GBL from Alexander Parkin
Hendron had bought 1,000 of Mephedrone and GBL from the BBC producer to take to parties.
But the barrister awoke on the morning of January 20, 2015 to find his teenage lover Miguel Jimenez, 18, dead beside him at his exclusive flat in London’s Temple – the collection of chambers where Britain’s top lawyers and judges are based.
The teenager had suffered a lethal overdose of a combination of Mephedrone, known as ‘meow meow’, and GBL.
Parkin was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work and lost his job at the BBC after he admitted supplying Methedrone and GBL.
Hendron – whose previous clients include Tory MP Nadine Dorries, the Earl of Cardigan and The Apprentice winner Stella English – was ordered to do 140 hours of unpaid work.
Parkin was then cleared of dealing in £13,000 worth of drugs – including crystal meth, ecstasy and GBL – and offering them for sale from his flat after a trial in 2017.
But he was jailed for 21 months today after he admitted possession with intent to supply and being concerned in the supply of crystal meth after police raided his flat last September.
David Povall, prosecuting, said it was a ‘networked supply situation’ which takes place ‘within the individual’s own social lives’.
Henry Hendron (left) had bought 1,000 of Mephedrone and GBL from the BBC producer to take to parties. But the barrister awoke in 2015 to find his teenage lover Miguel Jimenez (right) dead beside him
Mr Povall said: ‘It is the Crown’s case that this is supply, largely within a known group of individuals, known to each other, all known by name and all involved in the same social and sexual scene.
‘There was substantial turn over of drugs, substantial payment, and that there was some financial motivation to the supply that was happening.
‘While there were a number of concealed hides for paraphernalia and drugs, it has been described as ‘Changing Rooms on drugs,’ not a high level of sophistication.’
He said the street value of the drugs was between £6,000 and £18,000.
It emerged today Hendron gave a statement against Parkin and claimed the former BBC producer once had to be stopped from strangling one of his drug dealers.
Judge Jonathan Davies told Parkin: ‘We all know the destructive nature of that drug and those who use it. There was more to it than being a generous party host.
‘A quantity it was necessary to purchase in bulk. Ledgers for drug dealing showed someone owing you several thousands of pounds.
‘That clearly colours the position and in my judgement there’s more to it than just parties, this was partly a business.’
Parkin, from Kennington, admitted possession of crystal meth with intent to supply and being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug. He was jailed for 21 months.
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