Pole Daniel Szcezyelak has been sentenced to life in prison after he stabbed financial adviser Nigel Orr-McAuley at his home in Co Down

After a jury was sworn in and ready to hear Daniel Szcezyelak’s trial at Downpatrick Crown Court, defense attorney KC Arthur Harvey moved that the 37-year-old be tried again on a single charge.

As he stood in the dock and the jury looked on, Szcezyelak simply pleaded “guilty” to the charge that he murdered Nigel Orr-McAuley on an unknown date between July 12 and July 15, 2021.

The 53-year-old victim, a financial adviser and a member of Bangor’s Boys Brigade, was stabbed to death at Szcezyelak’s home on Beatrice Road, Bangor.

After his eleventh-hour confession, Judge Geoffrey Millar KC told the confessed killer, “There is only one sentence this court can award and that is life imprisonment.”

“In due course, I will conduct a hearing to determine how long you must remain in custody before you will be considered for parole,” the judge told Szcezyelak. “That will be a decision made by the parole officers at that point and after that you will remain on your driver’s license for the rest of your days and if you violate the terms of that driver’s license you will face a recall to prison.”

Judge Millar informed Mr Harvey that he already had several psychiatric reports prepared at an earlier stage and the lead counsel confirmed that the only additional report was a pre-conviction parole report.

Prosecuting KC Philip Mateer told the court he would attempt to get victim statements from Mr Orr-McAuley’s grieving relatives.

Judge Millar remanded Szcezyelak and thanked the jury for attending. He informed the killer that he would reconvene the court on October 20 to set his minimum wage.