Computer engineer found shocking images on PC
A computer engineer found a shock image on a PC he was repairing, a trial heard today.
Richard Harper, 23, was working for a firm based in Pangbourne in Berkshire which built and repaired computer equipment used for mixing colours in the paint industry when he made the discovery.
"It was a young boy who would have been about eleven-ish.
"He was naked and touching himself," he said.
On trial at the High Court in Edinburgh are eight alleged paedophiles accused of possessing, making and distributing child porn.
Mr Harper told the court that he switched on a machine and was surprised to see information on the screen which he didn't associate with that client.
There was also a tag which labelled a collection of files "Young Boys" and an e-mail address ? something he hadn't seen before.
Mr Harper said he alerted his supervisor to the find.
Earlier a computer expert explained to the jury how to surf the internet.
Michael Dickson, 44, works for the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency examining mobile phones and digital cameras as well as computers.
Today he told how a wireless link set up by one person wishing to use the internet might be used by someone else ? giving them a degree of anonymity.
He also explained how e-mail and web-mail accounts could be set up using pseudonyms and how some internet sites could be used for storing and sharing photographs.
The court saw that one site stored millions of images posted there by users, making it very hard to police.
In the dock are Neil Strachan, 41, of Edinburgh; James Rennie, 38, of Edinburgh; Ross Webber, 27, of North Berwick, East Lothian; Colin Slaven, 23, of Edinburgh; Craig Boath, 24, of Dundee; Neil Campbell, 46, of Glasgow; John Milligan, 40, of Glasgow and John Murphy, 44, of Glasgow.
All deny charges alleging possession and distribution of child porn.
Strachan, Rennie, Webber, Boath, Campbell and Milligan also deny a conspiracy to participate in the sexual abuse of children.
Strachan, Rennie, Webber, Boath, Campbell, Milligan and Murphy also deny acting together to show each other indecent photos.
Strachan, Slaven and Rennie also deny serious sexual offences against very young children ? one of the youngsters allegedly molested by Rennie was as young as three months old.
Strachan is also accused of showing Rennie images of himself sexually assaulting an 18-month old baby.
The trial continues.
Edinburgh Evening News