Angus man denies perverting course of justice during child abuse images probe by destroying hard drive

A man is to stand trial accused of destroying his computer’s hard drive as police tried to search his home for evidence relating to a child abuse images offence.

Darren Higgins is accused of perverting the course of justice in an incident on November 3 2017.

It is alleged that at his home in Montrose police officers attended to execute a search warrant for evidence against him in relation to a suspected indecent images of children allegation.

Prosecutors say he then removed a hard drive from a computer and threw it out of a window causing it to be damaged beyond repair.

It is alleged he did so “in order to prevent said hard drive from being forensically examined to establish the contents of said drive”.

The charge against Higgins alleges he “did so with intent to destroy evidence in order to avoid detection and prosecution and did it with intent to pervert the course of justice”.

Higgins, 34, of William Philips Drive, Montrose, denied a charge of perverting the course of justice on indictment at a pre-trial hearing at Dundee Sheriff Court.

Sheriff Alastair Carmichael set a trial date on July 1.