LIAM DORR IN GWYNEDD RECEIVES REDUCED SENTENCE AFTER OFFENSIVE ONLINE GROOMING CASE

In January 2015, a man convicted of filming a schoolgirl performing a sexual act online, after grooming her through social media, had his prison sentence reduced on appeal. Liam Alexander Dorr, aged 30, from Plas Edwards, Tywyn, Gwynedd, had originally been sentenced to six years in prison at Mold Crown Court last July. He pleaded guilty to two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and multiple charges related to indecent images of children.

A panel of three senior judges at London's Criminal Appeal Court today upheld Dorr’s appeal, finding his sentence was excessively harsh and reducing it to five years. Mr Justice Turner explained that Dorr, in his mid-20s at the time, posed as an 18-year-old named "Tom" to infiltrate the victim’s online life. He befriended a 15-year-old girl and persuaded her to send him photographs of herself. Claiming his webcam was broken, Dorr convinced her to perform a sexual act on camera, which he then recorded, before cutting off contact.

Two years later, the victim discovered Dorr had uploaded nude pictures of her on a website, where he also created profiles of other young girls. Police located Dorr using a mobile phone number he had given the girl. Investigations revealed videos and chat logs detailing years of sexualized online interactions with young girls, including images and pornography involving a 13-year-old.

Dorr admitted to ten charges of making, possessing, and distributing indecent images of children, in addition to the incitement offences. He expressed remorse, stating he was "ashamed and embarrassed" by his conduct and intended to rehabilitate himself, according to Mr Justice Turner.

During the appeal, Dorr’s legal team argued that his punishment was overly severe considering his remorse. The judges agreed that the initial sentence's starting point was too high.

This case follows a previous conviction in July 2014, where Dorr, then 29, was jailed for six years for similar offences. During that trial, he was found to have groomed girls online, convincing them to send explicit photographs and secretly recording them during sexual acts. He had used a false identity and created multiple online profiles, including a teenage persona named "Tom."

Court evidence detailed how Dorr, at age 25, engaged in lengthy conversations with a girl who believed she was speaking with a peer. He persuaded her to send numerous photographs and perform a sexual act while on webcam. The victim later reported the incident, which police traced back to Dorr through an old mobile number, discovering he had been engaging with other girls for seven years and possessing hundreds of images and videos of minors.

Prosecutor Jonathan Austin highlighted that the victim, who was 15 at the time, was deceived into believing she was communicating privately with a peer, only to find out she had been filmed and exploited. Dorr was convicted of 12 counts related to indecent images and two of inciting children to sexual activity, leading to a lifelong registration on the sex offenders register and an indefinite sexual offences prevention order.

Defence attorney Oliver King acknowledged Dorr’s acceptance of responsibility, describing him as a social recluse driven by personal issues, including feelings of family conflict. Judge Philip Hughes emphasized the serious nature of Dorr’s crimes, condemning his actions as a profound abuse of trust and a deceitful exploitation of young girls driven by his own lustful motives.