The National Crime Agency partnered with the New Zealand Police to carry out Operation Noctule, an international investigation into indecent images of children.
Users around the world of the file-sharing website Mega.nz had accessed these images online. The content was particularly extreme and included a large amount of Category A images. L
D, an autistic man who was self-representing having dispensed with two solicitors’ firms, was accused of being one of these users. No actual images were ever recovered on any of LD’s devices, meaning the case was prosecuted on circumstantial evidence alone.
The investigation linked LD to five different IP addresses and their corresponding physical addresses. This involved detailed work covering cell site evidence, IP address evidence, and call data records, but also more traditional evidence such as handwritten diary entries and benefit claims.
The Crown’s case was that LD was the common denominator across all addresses at the requisite times.
The jury convicted on all four counts after an hour of deliberations.
Ben Wild prosecuted and was called a “tour de force” by the lead NCA officer.
He was instructed by Jessica Harris from the CPS.
