A Fife man accused of downloading child abuse images has blamed the crime on his paedophile identical triplet.
Accused Robert Drummond said his brother Ryan Drummond – convicted in January – had access to his custom-built computer, which was used to download dozens of vile images.
However, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard some of the files had been accessed after Ryan Drummond’s arrest in November 2020.
Asked to explain how files on the computer had been accessed after Ryan’s arrest, Robert Drummond said: “My brother was out on bail by then.”
Asked by fiscal depute Jamie Hilland if he was suggesting Ryan had “snuck” into his house six days after his arrest to access the file at 2.52am, Drummond replied: “I have no explanation.”
He maintained he had cut off contact with his sibling after hearing of his crimes.
Ryan Drummond had similarly blamed his brother when he was accused of identical crimes.
‘Shocked’ by offending
Telling of the moment he discovered the nature of his brother’s offences, Robert told his trial he was “shocked”.
He said: “I was at (his dad’s) house having dinner and that’s when he told me what he had been arrested for.
“He told me he had been arrested for child pornography.
“I can’t remember the whole conversation but that’s the gist of it.
“I was shocked.
“A few weeks later I had the police knocking on my door.”
Computer evidence
The court had earlier heard from police officers who seized a computer system unit and two phones during a search of Drummond’s Kelty home on December 4 2020.
Prosecution and defence agreed in evidence each of these devices was found to contain indecent images of children.
Forensic computer analyst Robin Oliver, said a total of 167 indecent images containing child sexual exploitation and abuse material were recovered from the computer hard drives.
The court heard these were mostly female children aged between eight and 14.
Of the images, five were of the most graphic kind – category A – while another 20 were classed as category B and 142 as category C.
Mr Oliver said two category B images, depicting boys and girls aged as young as six, were found on one of the mobile phones seized.
The other phone contained one indecent category B image involving girls aged between six and 10.
Fiscal depute Jamie Hilland also read out text messages received on this handset which included phrases such as “Hi Robert, how you getting on?” and “Happy birthday, Robert, hope you are having a lovely day”.
Mr Hilland also highlighted that two email addresses recovered from the device were the same two email addresses used on the system unit.
Drummond denies accessing the material and the trial, before Sheriff Charles Macnair, is expected to conclude on Thursday.
Brother’s offences
At the beginning of the trial, jurors were told Drummond’s brother, Ryan, was arrested on November 9 2020.
The court heard his home had been searched on October 30 2020 and a laptop was seized which was found to contain indecent videos of children.
During a police interview Ryan Drummond denied any knowledge of material and claimed his brother, Robert – the current accused – had access to the laptop.
But jurors were told Ryan Drummond pled guilty to downloading indecent photos of children, between June 16 and October 27 2020.
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