William Bairstow
A Lawndale man is facing child pornography charges after state investigators allegedly found sexual images of children on his home computer via a peer-to-peer file sharing network.
Agents from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office arrested William Bairstow, 53, on July 25 at his home on the 300 block of Hellerman St. The arrest followed an undercover investigation during which agents identified a computer from which media files containing child pornography were being shared on a peer-to-peer network. Typically, peer-to-peer users join a network to share files and other resources with others on the network in a reciprocal relationship. Many peer-to-peer networks are Web-based.
Investigators successfully downloaded one of the dubious files, authorities said. Then they traced the computer’s IP address to identify and locate Bairstow as the alleged user. Agents seized Bairstow’s computer, which allegedly contained several thousand videos and images of suspected child pornography.
Bairstow was charged with 300 counts of possessing child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. He was released from custody after posting 10 percent of $50,000 bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 14. ••
