More than 900 indecent images and evidence of computer galleries under names including ‘young naked boys’ were recovered during forensic examination of three computers taken from an Angus man’s home.
The jury trial of 60-year-old Alasdair Chalmers also heard the browsing history of the equipment included a website banned by the Canadian government because of its indecent content and another link claiming to be the internet’s ‘most comprehensive listing of boy-related and boy love websites.’
A large majority of the images were at the lowest category of such material and the forensic expert giving evidence to the trial at Forfar Sheriff Court said the scale of the material was “not an incredibly large amount” considering it covered three devices and a period of a number of years.
Chalmers, of West Steading, Mains of Gagie, Kellas, denies an indictment alleging that between March 20 2005 and April 26 2011, at his home address and elsewhere, he took or permitted to be taken or made indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children. He is also charged with possessing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children between March 20 2005 and January 31 2014.
Police witness Andrew Hopkins, 40, said he forensically examined three computers seized from Chalmers’ home.
The total content of indecent images across the three devices was 306 ‘live’ images and 609 recovered or deleted images.
The majority of the images were level one material, with 12 images at level two and five at level four. They depicted boys aged eight to 16.
The witness explained that the browsing history of the devices had revealed searches of a Russian-based website which was known to contain indecent material, using terms such as boys and Swiss boys.
The witness said the compiled report concluded that the material had not been accidentally accessed because of factors including the material being saved over various devices, the nature of the search terms and galleries having been viewed over an extended period of time.
The trial continues.