Mildenhall sex offender Christopher Orford sentenced

Christopher Orford, of Hanmer Avenue in the west Suffolk town, appeared by video link at Ipswich Crown Court last month after police found a phone in his house showing he had viewed “extreme pornography”.

In August 2020, Orford was given a suspended sentence for voyeurism and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order at the same time.

Orford had also previously pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children between December 31, 2016, and July 5, 2018.

The order he was subject to meant he had to notify police of devices he owned and he was not allowed to delete device history.

However Orford breached the order multiple times, as he did wipe his history and failed to notify police of possession of a device.

The police then turned up to his house and called the phone he owned.

It rang in a drawer he had hidden it in and he was “caught red handed”, his defence barrister Peter Spary said.

The court was told “extreme pornography” was found on the phone.

Orford was left “embarrassed” and said he “hadn’t really thought things through”, according to Mr Spary.

Mr Spary told Judge David Pugh that Orford had already had a difficult time being held for five months in segregation in HMP Norwich and that he has a partner and a child waiting for him.

“He is quite young and perhaps a little bit absent minded at times,” Mr Spary told Judge Pugh.

“He understands sentences for this sort of thing only go up."

When Judge Pugh then said he would not activate the previous suspended sentence for voyeurism at court on Tuesday, Orford breathed a sigh of relief.

Judge Pugh decided that he would only sentence for breaching the prevention order and sentenced Orford to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years.

There were three requirements of the sentence, including 200 hours of unpaid work, the completion of a psychological intervention programme and 30 rehabilitation activity days.