GUILTY PLEA | 

Irish International rally driver who had child-abuse images avoids jail

More than 600 of the 2,600 images found on his computer were in most serious category

Today at 07:58

An international rally driver from Northern Ireland who pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing indecent images of children has avoided jail.

Michael Orr was sentenced to 80 hours’ community service and three years on probation.

Belfast Crown Court heard that almost 2,600 images were found on Orr’s computer — more than 600 of them in the most serious category.

The Co Down man’s address remains subject to a reporting restriction imposed by a judge earlier this year over alleged threats to him.

Aged 49, the veteran international co-driver has in recent years competed for a Middle East-based team.

However, he has lost his income from that as he has been suspended from the sport.

A sentencing hearing at Belfast Crown Court this week heard that on the morning of February 11 2021, police searched Orr’s home address.

During the search, officers seized devices including an Apple MacBook, an iPhone and an Apple Mac.

Initial forensic examination showed that these items contained indecent images of children, so police returned to the house at 9.52am and arrested Orr.

He was interviewed that day at 12.55pm, where he gave ‘no comment’ responses to the questions put.

An examination of Orr’s devices found 2,579 images on his MacBook, Apple Mac and iPhone.

The court heard 618 of these were categorised ‘Level A’ — the most serious. Another 533 were ‘Level B’ with the other 1,428 categorised as ‘Level C’.

Orr’s iPhone was found to contain a Kik Messenger App, which had been used to send and receive indecent images during online chats.

Of these, a total of 100 images had been sent to third parties using Kik Messenger from this phone.

Orr was interviewed a second time on June 14 2022. This time, he admitted that the images on his devices were his, and accepted that he had shared images by the Kik App.

In May, Orr pleaded guilty to 15 counts of making indecent photographs of children and six counts of distributing indecent photographs. It was previously stated the offences were committed on dates between January 2015 and September 2016.

Sentencing him this week, Mr Justice Geoffrey Miller cited the distribution of unlawful images with other like-minded individuals using the app as an aggravating factor. However, the judge also outlined a series of mitigating factors.

These included Orr’s previously clear record, his guilty plea and clear and genuine remorse.

The judge noted that because of his arrest, Orr has lost his full time employment as a rally co–driver. He had been suspended from the sport since his arrest.

It was also noted that while Orr is in a supportive relationship with his wife and grown-up children, he has been living apart since the offences.

A pre-sentence report said the reasons behind his offending remain ‘opaque’.

However, it pointed out that unlike many such accused, Orr did not seek to minimise the seriousness of his actions.

It also noted Orr displays a good insight into the harm caused by searching, viewing and sharing child abuse images with others, and has been taking online courses with the Lucy Faithful foundation, a UK-wide child protection charity which works to stop child sexual abuse.

The court heard Orr was described as having a reasonable grasp of victim awareness and recognised his role in the sexual abuse of children and the long-term impact.

Orr also accepted the impact of his behaviour on his family and expressed a willingness to engage with the Probation Board to avoid further offending.

The judge said he accepted a Probation Board assessment that Orr presents a low risk of general reoffending over the next two years.