A COMPUTER expert who had viewed child pornography on a work computer, before moving to a new job, could have caused his former colleagues to fall under suspicion.
Fortunately the police tracked Paul Faill down to his new employers, where he was arrested at work and a number of computers were then seized from his Rugby home.
Faill, 43, of Railway Terrace, Rugby, appeared at Warwick Crown Court having pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children.
He was given an eight-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to take part in a sex offender programme and to register as a sex offender for ten years.
Prosecutor Gary Cook said that in December 2016 the police went to a business’s premises after they had received intelligence that indecent images of children had been downloaded onto one of its computers.
The company’s computer system had been set up by Faill, but by the time of the police visit he had left and gone to work for a different company.
“That meant the people at the original company may have fallen under suspicion,” observed Mr Cook.
However, officers quickly established who was responsible, and arrested Faill at his new workplace.
They then went to his home where they seized a large amount of computer equipment.
When he was first questioned Faill denied downloading any images of children, but when he was interviewed the following day he accepted he had been downloading them for a number of years, adding that he was sexually attracted to children.
A number of folders on the computers seized from his home could not be accessed because Faill said he could not remember the passwords for them.
But he accepted those folders may have contained images similar to those which were found by the police, which included 13 in the most serious category A.
Also found by the officers were seven category B images and 385 category C images of children, added Mr Cook.
David Everett, defending, said there were not as many category A images as in many cases, and asked the judge to suspend any prison sentence.
Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told Faill: “Those children, who may now not be children, have to work every day knowing those images may be out there on the internet.
“But you have shown remorse, and you have taken steps to address your behaviour and have yourself enrolled on a Lucy Faithful Foundation course.
“You have lost your family, and you have lost your job, but have got back to work.”
But the judge warned Faill: “If you breach this order you will not only come back before this court, you will come before me.”
He also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of all the computers seized, including those on which nothing was found because Faill could not recall the passwords.
