WILLIAM WOOD FROM CORSTORPHINE SHOCKS EDINBURGH WITH CHILD ABUSE IMAGES ON CHARITY COMPUTER

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the community, William Wood, a 61-year-old resident of Corstorphine, has been found guilty of possessing and downloading indecent images of children. The conviction follows a detailed two-day trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, where the court heard how Wood, who previously led a charity dedicated to African children's education, was implicated in the possession of highly disturbing material.

Wood, who was the head of the Dignity Project, a charity established in 1996 to support underprivileged children across Africa, claimed during the trial that the images found on his devices had been planted by hackers. He insisted that he had no knowledge of the illicit content, which included images of children as young as four, some of the most severe in nature. According to Wood, his laptop had been targeted by cybercriminals who downloaded the images onto his device without his consent and subsequently deleted them, leaving no trace of his involvement.

However, the evidence presented by police forensic expert DC Alan McConnell painted a different picture. The court was shown that traces of 138 images and a video were discovered on three devices located in Wood’s Edinburgh home, which he shares with his wife. DC McConnell explained that although the files had been deleted, computer software could recover search terms and file names, revealing searches for phrases such as “African pre-teens,” “magic nymphettes,” and “PTHC” (Pre-teen hardcore).

Further investigation uncovered that a particularly disturbing film had been downloaded onto Wood’s computer in November 2015. The film had been viewed twice before being deleted. The forensic expert emphasized that, in his professional opinion, the presence of these files was not accidental, and it was unlikely that Wood was unaware of their existence. The court was also told that the images and videos were found on devices used by Wood at his Corstorphine residence.

During the proceedings, Wood’s wife testified that the couple had established the Dignity Project and dedicated ten years to helping children in Africa. She denied any knowledge of the illicit images and stated that the charity had closed down three years prior due to health issues and funding problems.

William Wood himself claimed that his computer had been hacked in June 2014, citing an incident where an abusive comment about JK Rowling appeared on the charity’s Twitter feed. He also alleged that his online bank account had been compromised. Wood maintained that he had never searched for, viewed, or downloaded any indecent images of children. He expressed his distress, stating, “This is very serious – we are talking about my life, my career, my 25-year marriage. I’m innocent so I do not have any off pat answers.”

He further argued that the images had been downloaded without his knowledge, and that his security software had automatically deleted the files before he could see them. Despite his claims, the jury unanimously found him guilty of possessing indecent images of children at his Corstorphine home on December 7, 2015, and of downloading such images between August 4 and December 7 of that year.

Following the verdict, Sheriff Fiona Tait ordered William Wood to be placed on the sex offenders register for an unspecified period. The court also deferred sentencing until next month, leaving the community and the charity sector to grapple with the implications of this disturbing case.