Handyman 'planted child porn on colleague's computer'

A handyman planted child porn on a school caretaker's computer to get him sacked, the Old Bailey heard today.

Neil Weiner did not like Eddie Thompson and hoped he would get promoted if he was fired, jurors were told.

Weiner is alleged to have anonymously sent police a CD containing 177 indecent images of children, saying they had come from Mr Thompson's laptop.

Police later found another 235 pictures on the computer, but there was no evidence they had been downloaded from the internet, said Richard Milne, prosecuting.

Mr Thompson was arrested in 2006 but told police he had been set up because he did not get along with his colleagues.

Weiner, said to be "a wizard" on the computer, was himself arrested the following year after a mobile used to make the anonymous call was traced to him.

Mr Milne said some of the images were level 4, the second highest in seriousness.

They had been planted on Mr Thompson "for no better reason than to get him the sack so that he could get promotion, and because he did not like him".

Mr Milne added: "He was being fitted up or framed on his computer."

Weiner, 39, of Dagenham, east London, denies perverting justice and two counts of possessing indecent images of children.

The court was told Mr Thompson, 60, had been the premises manager, or caretaker, at the Swanlea secondary school, Whitechapel, east London, since 1993.

He did not get on with his deputy Martin Nunn and Weiner, Mr Nunn's handyman assistant.

Mr Thompson had discovered Weiner getting paid overtime for doing jobs he was not qualified to do, said Mr Milne.

All three men shared the same office and Weiner had access to his boss's password because Mr Thompson was a virtual beginner and was always asking Weiner for help, it was said.

A month before a man calling himself Steve rang police and sent them the CD, Weiner had been at a barbecue.

Mr Milne alleged he told two women he did not like Mr Thompson and wanted to put child porn on his computer so he would be sacked.

"Mr Weiner said he did not like him because he was in charge and got better hours and privileges."

But the women "were horrified by what you may think was a wickedly evil and vile plot", added Mr Milne.

Mr Thompson had never accessed indecent pictures of children and had never viewed porn.

Computer experts found the images on the CD had never been on the computer. Those images on the computer at the school had been put on it in 32 seconds and not downloaded from internet sites.

Weiner told police he had nothing to do with the child porn images and had not interfered with the computer.

Sandra Godfrey, who was having an affair with Weiner at the time, said she was shocked to hear about the plan at the barbecue.

She said: "We challenged him about it - it's a terrible thing to do. What if the man's got children? It will ruin his life. He didn't seem to care."

Mr Thompson told the court he used his computer at the 1,000-pupil school to work on spreadsheets.

He said: "I didn't go on the internet. I could do simple things. Mr Weiner, to me, was a computer expert."

The trial was adjourned to tomorrow.