Police gay couple deny indecent images charges
A police officer and his detective boyfriend hid a images of child abuse under the bed they shared, a court was told.
Graham Ferguson, an anti-corruption detective with the Metropolitan Police, and his partner Gerard Collins, a British Transport Police officer, were arrested after Ferguson’s colleague found indecent images of children on a disk in his office, which then led police to search their home.
Police found a floppy disk and a CD, both containing “illicit or illegal” images, under the couple’s bed, the court was told.
Jurors at Southwark Crown Court heard that DC Ferguson, 41, had been on sick leave when his colleague made the discovery in an unlocked filing cabinet in Ferguson’s office and reported it to his manager.
DC Michael Rutherford checked if the images related to any cases that Ferguson may have been investigating but none of his cases related to ped.
Prosecutor Tim Hunter told the court there was “no legitimate reason” for DC Ferguson to have had the DVD in his possession.
“The case is that the images on the disk are illicit or illegal and they didn’t seem to relate to a professional task.”
It is alleged that the disk held 57 paedophile movie files and one still image.
“It was the type of material that needs to be treated with the highest level of care,” Detective Sergeant Tim Thorne said.
“If it is evidence it should be in a police evidence bag and sealed. If it is a working copy it should be labelled and also sealed.
“It was not common to have that sort of material in and around the office.”
Officers searched the home of DC Ferguson and PC Collins, 27, where, along with the secret stash under the bed, they found a laptop that also held similar images.
The floppy disk contained 25 indecent images and the CD contained two images. The laptop held a movie file and a single image.
DC Ferguson is accused of possessing indecent images in relation to the disk found in his office while PC Collins is accused of two counts of making indecent images and a further count of possessing like material.
Both jointly face two counts of possessing indecent photographs.
The couple deny all charges.
The trial continues.
