ALEX ORR FROM ABINGDON SENTENCED FOR ONLINE CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN THE UK

In September 2017, the Court of Appeal increased the prison sentence of Alex Orr, a known offender from Abingdon, following a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. Originally sentenced to six years, Orr’s punishment was extended to nine years in prison, accompanied by an additional four-year period of extended licence. This decision underscores the severity with which the judiciary views his crimes and aims to serve as a deterrent to similar offenders.

Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC publicly commented on the case, emphasizing the gravity of Orr’s actions. He stated, “This offender deceived a large number of young victims and manipulated them into doing unspeakable acts, resulting in serious psychological harm. Just because these crimes were committed from behind a screen doesn’t make them any less serious. I hope the increased sentence shows how seriously the Courts take these matters.”

Earlier in January 2017, Orr was convicted of a series of heinous online offences involving the exploitation of teenage boys. The court heard how the 27-year-old from Villeboys Close, Abingdon, used sophisticated deception techniques to lure and manipulate his victims. He created a fake online persona, claiming to be a woman named ‘Sarah Duffy,’ and engaged with the boys via Facebook and Skype, convincing them that they were interacting with a real person.

Judge Ian Pringle QC described Orr’s actions as highly dangerous and sentenced him to six years in prison, with an additional four-year extended licence period. The court was told that Orr exploited the victims by filming them performing sexual acts he demanded, while they watched pre-recorded footage of a woman, which he had stolen from the internet, believing it was streamed live. The victims included boys as young as seven, who were enticed to join their older siblings on webcams during Orr’s disturbing activities, a fact described as ‘truly shocking’ by prosecutor Matthew Walsh during the hearing at Oxford Crown Court.

Further allegations revealed that Orr encouraged a paedophile, believed to be in Australia or New Zealand, to sexually abuse a baby and a toddler while he watched online. Orr’s offending was extensive, and he admitted to using Facebook for decades to satisfy his sexual desires, engaging in conversations with thousands of teenage boys over the years.

The criminal investigation was triggered when police raided Orr’s home and seized two laptops following his arrest for inciting a child to perform a sexual act. During the search, authorities discovered evidence of his involvement in multiple offences, including possession of animal pornography. Orr’s partner of nine years continued to support him despite his criminal activities.

Orr pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including three counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child, possession of an extreme pornographic image, two counts of inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity, and ten counts of arranging or facilitating child sex offences between November 2012 and November 2015. The court also imposed a sexual harm prevention order, ordered him to pay a victim surcharge, and mandated the forfeiture and destruction of the laptops involved in his crimes.