KIRKCALDY MAN KEVIN BELL CAUGHT WITH CHILD ABUSE VIDEOS IN HIS COMPUTER RECYCLING BIN

Kevin Bell, a 32-year-old resident of Kirkcaldy, found himself in serious legal trouble after authorities uncovered a disturbing collection of child abuse videos stored on his personal computer. The videos, which were kept in a folder labeled “Mega Downloads” within the recycling bin of his device, contained highly illegal content involving young girls between the ages of three and twelve.

Bell claimed during his appearance at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court that he was unaware that the deleted files still remained on his hard drive. He explained that the material had been sent to him by an anonymous individual through an internet chat application. According to Bell, upon realizing the nature of the files, he immediately deleted them from his device. Despite his claims, police forensic experts later discovered that nearly two years after the files were initially received, the videos were still retrievable from the computer’s trash folder.

The court proceedings revealed that Bell’s computer was subjected to a preliminary examination by police cyber experts. Due to a malfunctioning hard drive, a comprehensive forensic analysis was not possible. Nonetheless, an initial “triage” identified 41 videos stored within a subfolder titled “Mega Downloads” in the recycling bin. Among these, 18 were classified as Category A, indicating the most severe level of illegal content. The forensic analyst, Tom Giles of Police Scotland, confirmed that the videos were located in the recycling bin, which functions similarly to any other folder on the computer, allowing files to be moved or restored.

Further investigation uncovered that the recycling bin contained a folder with Bell’s personal details, including a CV that identified him as the user of the device. The videos found included 18 in the highest Category A, 14 in Category B, and nine in Category C, all depicting young girls aged between three and twelve years old.

During his own testimony, Bell stated that he had been sent the “vile” images through an app called Random Chat, which facilitates text-based conversations with strangers worldwide. He explained, “I was on a chat program, talking to random people. We were talking about general stuff – we were chatting about what it was like in Scotland and asking what it was like in America, or wherever they were from.”

Bell recounted that he received a link from an unknown sender, who did not disclose their name or location, claiming the individual was from India. He attempted to open the link on his phone but was unsuccessful, so he forwarded it to his PC. Bell admitted to opening a single video before realizing its disturbing content, after which he responded, “I got rid of it. I just deleted it.”

Prosecutor Lora Apostalova pointed out to the jury that Bell’s familiarity with computers suggested he was capable of transferring the file from his phone to his PC intentionally. She argued that his actions demonstrated a clear awareness of the illegal material he possessed and his deliberate attempt to view it.

Following a day-long trial, the jury—comprising seven men and eight women—unanimously convicted Bell of downloading and possessing child abuse images at his Kirkcaldy home between September 2019 and March 2021. The court also heard that Bell had previously been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for a year in 2018 after engaging in indecent communication with a child. Sentencing was deferred pending further reports, and Bell was released on bail pending the outcome of these assessments.