More than 130 images of child pornography were found on a computer seized from the home of a missing schoolgirl, a court heard heard today.

The indecent pictures were uncovered during a police inquiry launched after the disappearance of Shannon Matthews, a nine-year-old who vanished in February on her way home from school.

They had been downloaded to a computer owned by Craig Meehan, 22, the partner of the missing child's mother, Karen Matthews. It was one of two computers that detectives removed from the living room of Shannon's home in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, a day after she was reported missing.

Police had hoped that a forensic examination of the machines would yield clues to Shannon's fate. Instead, they led to the arrest of Mr Meehan for allegedly possessing indecent images of children.

Shannon, one of seven children to Ms Matthews by five different fathers, was eventually found 24 days after her disappearance, hiding in the base of a divan bed in a flat one mile from her home. Her mother, 32, and Mr Meehan's uncle, Michael Donovan, 40, were subsequently charged with kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.

Mr Meehan, a supermarket fishmonger, went on trial today at Dewsbury Magistrates' Court, where he denies possessing 133 indecent child images on his computer and one on a mobile phone.

Wearing a black Manchester United shirt under a padded sports coat, he sat impassively in the dock as the case against him was outlined by David Holderness, prosecuting.

Mr Holderness said that Mr Meehan purchased the computer second-hand from a store in Dewsbury in September 2006.

"The court can be certain that all of the images in this case were not on the computer prior to its purchase by Mr Meehan," he said.

Mr Holderness said that Mr Meehan had accepted, during police interviews, that the password-protected computer was his. The password, Reggie 07, incorporated the nickname, Reggie, by which he was known to many of his friends.

Mr Meehan did not dispute that indecent images of children - 16 of which were classified as level four on a scale of one to five, in which five is the most serious - had been found on his computer.

He maintained, however, that he had not been responsible for downloading any of them, pointing the finger of blame at other local people who sometimes used the computer, said Mr Holderness.

The prosecution would present substantial circumstantial evidence to "provide a convincing and overwhelming picture that it was Mr Meehan who was downloading the material", he said.

Police had questioned and excluded from suspicion everyone else who had access to the computer.

Detailed examination of Mr Meehan's work records over an 18-month period had established that all the child pornography was downloaded at times when he was not at work.

Whoever was reponsible had made a conscious choice to download files whose names were "clearly suggestive of indecent imagery".

Mr Holderness said they included words and phrases such as "my virgin daughter at 13", "rape", "incest", "my daughters" and "five year". One of the level two images showed a naked young girl, aged between four and seven, performing a sexual action.

During police interviews, Mr Meehan initially denied using the computer to download any sort of pornography, let alone images of children. He later "changed his account" after being told that police had recovered a number of pornographic videos from his bedroom.

Mr Meehan now admitted that he had used the computer to search for porn, but maintained that it was "all of an adult nature".

His relationship with Ms Matthews, who may be called to give evidence during his trial, has ended. Shannon is being cared for by foster parents.

The case continues.

Times Recommends

• Sarah Brown says 'no thanks' to veal at G8 - twice
• Stockton-on-Tees is obesity capital of Britain
• Stores blame poor sales on Murray factor