Coutts computer had 5,000 porn images (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Coutts computer had 5,000 porn images

Day five of the trial at Lewes Crown Court

PEOPLE throughout Britain have hard-core pornography on their computers, the Jane Longhurst murder trial heard.

The use of porn has "exploded" with the advent of the internet - and it is all perfectly legal.

Sussex Police computer expert Dave Reed agreed that it was now a "fact of life" in the 21st Century.

Graham Coutts, who was brought up in the Cotswolds and went to Westwoods Grammar School in Northleach, denies murdering Miss Longhurst.

Lewes Crown Court heard yesterday (Wednesday) that Coutts downloaded more than 5,000 porn images including violent sex before and after he allegedly strangled her.

But defence counsel Jeremy Gold QC said Coutts' had committed no crime by having the pictures.

Mr Reed agreed Mr Gold who said: "Whatever one thinks of it, since the internet came about there has been an explosion of hard-core pornography."

Accessing or downloading child porn was an offence but, said Mr Gold, it did not apply to porn involving adults.

Copies of Coutts' images were on the bench in front of Mr Gold as he said: "Anyone looking over my shoulder at these pictures now might think they were disgusting but I am not doing anything illegal.

"Whether I was doing anything wrong is a matter of personal taste. "It is widely known that a very substantial amount of traffic on the internet involves people searching out porn.

"If I went into homes across the country and looked at everybody's computer a very substantial number would have hard-core pornography." Even Miss Longhurst's computer contained "soft core" pictures.

Angus Marshall, a computer expert with Hull University, said he found about a dozen "top-shelf" glamour pictures of naked women on her PC, although they were nothing like strangulation pictures he found on Coutts' computer.

The court heard how Coutts downloaded violent sex on the eve of Miss Longhurst's disappearance on March 14 last year and just days before her burning body was found in woodland near Pulborough on April 19.

Police arrested Coutts for a second time after Miss Longhurst's belongings were discovered at a Brighton self-storage warehouse rented out by him.

Coutts, a 35-year-old guitarist and salesman of Waterloo Street, Hove, broke down in the dock as the jury were read statements he made to police.

He told officers at that time he didn't want to talk about Miss Longhurst, 31-year-old teacher of Shaftesbury Road, Brighton.

Detective Sergeant Dobs O'Brien said Coutts had been calm and composed at an earlier interview but was now quiet and "appeared to cry at times".

Coutts was asked: "Did you kill Jane Longhurst, Graham? "Was it Jane in the boot of your car?"

Coutts said: "I can't talk about it. It is too upsetting to talk about."

Police asked: "What happened on March 14? Did you meet her in the day? Did you arrange to go swimming with Jane?"

Coutts provided no information from dozens of questions: "How did Jane's bank card get into the self-storage unit? Did you strangle Jane? What is preventing you from talking?

"Did you put those tights round Jane's neck? Did you strangle her with those tights?

"How did her body come to be on fire? Did you set fire to Jane's body?" Mr O'Brien said to Coutts: "We can't turn back the clock. Jane is dead. What has happened has happened." Coutts still couldn't provide answers.

He was asked why he had cleaned his Rover car the day after Miss Longhurst's burning body was found.

He had told his partner Lisa Stephens there had been a "spillage" in his hatchback.

Police later found traces of blood and body fluid in the vehicle.

Again, Coutts was asked if he'd killed Miss Longhurst. He replied: "I don't know what happened. I can't talk about it."

Coutts made no response during the rest of the interview. Under cross examination, Mr O'Brien agreed Coutts had no criminal convictions.

The trial was adjourned until tomorrow (Friday) when Coutts' defence case was expected to begin