ORIN HARRISON FROM PLYMOUTH JAILED FOR SEX OFFENCES AND BREACHING SUSPENDED SENTENCE
In a case that has once again cast a shadow over Plymouth's criminal landscape, 22-year-old Orin Harrison found himself back in court after breaching the conditions of his previously suspended prison sentence.The court heard that Harrison, who has no fixed address, was convicted last year of engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl, a crime that marked his second conviction involving a minor under the age of 16.
Harrison's original sentence was handed down in March of the previous year, when he received a 20-month prison term, suspended for two years, along with a requirement to undergo sex offender treatment.
This sentence was the result of his admission of guilt in April 2015.
Despite the leniency, Harrison's conduct did not improve, and he was soon back before the court, this time in custody, accused of breaching the terms of his suspended sentence and committing additional offences.
The Crown Prosecution Service's representative, Judith Constable, outlined that Harrison had failed to notify police of his whereabouts, a mandatory requirement for convicted sex offenders.
She also pointed out that he had missed three scheduled probation appointments and had changed his phone number without informing authorities, making him unreachable.
Although he had completed some parts of his community work, the court was told that the sexual encounter with the underage girl was consensual, but she had asked him to stop, which he failed to do immediately.
Judge Paul Darlow sentenced Harrison to a total of nine months in prison for these breaches.
The court's proceedings revealed that Harrison's criminal history included a series of serious offences.
In March 2017, he appeared in court just a day after being released from prison, admitting to having had sex with a 15-year-old girl in April 2015.
Initially, he had denied rape charges, but the Crown accepted a plea to a lesser offence.
The judge noted that Harrison was unlikely to face immediate custody again, given that he had already served time for similar offences.
Harrison's criminal record also includes admissions from last year, where he confessed to three counts of sexual activity with a girl under 16 in 2013 and 2014, when he was 17 and the girl was approximately 13 or 14.
Court records detailed that he was involved in arranging meetings for sexual encounters in parks and wooded areas around Plymouth.
These offences occurred prior to his latest conviction, and he was on bail in April 2015 awaiting sentencing at that time.
In August of the previous year, Harrison was sentenced to a two-year community order, which included 225 hours of unpaid work and participation in a course aimed at addressing sex offending.
However, his cooperation with probation officers was poor, leading to his re-arrest in January of this year.
He was subsequently sentenced to four months in a young offender institution after missing no fewer than eleven meetings with probation officers for supervision and unpaid work.
The court was told that his compliance had been minimal and inconsistent.
Judge Darlow emphasized the seriousness of Harrison's repeated failures to adhere to court orders, stating, “This is the end of the line.
You have complied with the order in a very desultory way.” Harrison served half of his four-month sentence and was released earlier this week, but his criminal history and recent breaches have left a lasting mark on his record and on the community of Plymouth.
