A CO DOWN man who admitted possessing child porn and indecent images of children and sharing them online has been sentenced to community service.
Nathan Samuel Francis Orr (25), of Dakota Avenue in Newtownards, was ordered to perform 100 hours’ community service and was placed on probation for two years. The father-of-one will also be on the sex offenders register for 10 years and was made the subject of a five-year sexual prevention order. Downpatrick Crown Court he began to find mainstream pornography ‘Boring’, his desire for illicit material increased and he joined an online group that shared indecent images of children. When Orr’s home was searched in January 2017, police officers seized items including a mobile phone, laptop and tablet and found indecent images of children in the form of both photographs and video files. It also emerged that he had been involved in online chats with others about distributing and trading images.
Orr pleaded guilty to 11 separate charges, including both possessing and distributing indecent images of children, as well as possessing an extreme pornographic image. When he spoke to a probation officer about his offending, he said he accessed the images during periods of binge drinking and when he was feeling lonely and depressed. Orr said that while he found the images sexually arousing, he did not have a sexual interest in children. He also expressed disgust in himself and said he now realises what he was doing was wrong.
Judge Geoffrey Miller noted that he was unemployed and on benefits and had mental health issues. He also said he had a clear criminal record and had not offended since his arrest three and a half years ago. Addressing Orr – who appeared at the remote hearing via a videolink with his solicitor’s office – he said: “The internet opens many positive windows on the world, but on the other hand it is a very dangerous mechanism.
It can allow access to more dangerous avenues which encourage young minds such as yours to effectively click and click and click without perhaps appreciating that these sorts of pictures represent real victims.” After imposing the combination order, the judge said part of Orr’s period on probation should include addressing the issues which motivated his sexually deviant behaviour. He also told him that if he reoffended within the next two years, he would have “no hesitation” in revoking the order and imposing an immediate jail term.
With many thanks to: The Irish News for the original story
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