Upset, need help and advice.

[StrawberryFields67]

I've name-changed for this.

Long story short, I have a male relative, in his 70s, who bought a computer a couple of years ago for emailing and listening to music and whatever. He is always running into problems with it and recently brought it to me to 'fix'.

So I took it home, opened it up and saw it. Not just search history but endless OPEN tabs, bookmarks, videos all over the desktop of the most horrible sexual stuff I have ever encountered. Stuff that I suspect might be illegal but I don't know for sure because there's no way I'm putting those god-awful search terms in my history.

I tried to mention this discreetly to a friend, omitting details, and I got the usual "leave him alone", "everyone has needs", "porn is normal" blah blah blah and to just let it go. But I can't because this man is a god damn deviant and I will never look at him in the same way again. I never want to be in the same space. I don't know how in the hell he could hand over a laptop with that EVERYWHERE ON IT and not even care?

I don't event want to describe this but basically, what I saw - it wasn't children. But as far as I'm concerned, it was just as bad. It was the same level of severity in my eyes.

If anything/anyone would have been harmed/hurt based on the the making of the content then I would report it/him.

There needs to be consequences for people looking at this stuff and this encouraging people to create and share it.

If it is just a weird fetish where it is unlikely anyone or thing could be harmed them I'd leave it be.

The key thing here is is it illegal stuff or legal stuff? I'd hazard a guess at legal as he doesnt sound particularly proficient with computers so has just come across normal sites rather than those on the darkweb.

It's not ideal but you're friends comments are right. Doesnt stop you thinking he's a dorty old perv though.

Phone 111 for advice

So he asked you to fix in - in all innocence?
Or did he get a thrill?

Hand it back and say you can’t fix it because of what he has been accessing - as he’s not IT literate he will be stumped but he will know you know

If you don’t want him to know you know - hand it back and suggest someone else looks at it

Sounds gross. Wrap it up in a bin bag and get your DH to return it unrepaired.
But before you do you should seriously consider reporting him if you think what you have seen is illegal.

i would assume he isn’t very IT savvy and doesn’t realise that you can see this stuff?
For me, it would depend what it was. Children or snuff movies, anything cohesive or anything with animals? Absolutely not, he’d be reported immediately.

If it was animals or something/someone being harmed - report to 101 anon and take a huge step back. You could probably call women’s aid or something for advice too.

Awful situation to be in.

I wouldnt go calling the cops on your family member when the chances are it isnt illegal. OP needs to either post more details or do some homework herself. You'd be surprised what's perfectly legal and just a few clicks away to anyone with an internet connection. I'm guessing its that 50 shades sort of stuff.

Another perspective would be to ask whether it could possibly be a popup and not something he has opened consciously. I am not saying necessarily that I subscribe to this theory, but it may be that he had a look at something and got all sorts of popups that he didn't know / wasn't expecting / didn't ask for.

Also, I agree with PP. OP, you may find things depraved, however it may not be illegal. Legality is a pretty important point here.

111 is the NHS.

A lot of non tech savvy people don't realise what people can see. My uncle needed help sending a photo once and his gallery was full of porn.

Impossible to say without some indication of what it was OP.

But ultimately I'd give him it back and recommend he puts it in a computer shop for repairs. They'll report him if it's dodgy

I am so sorry for even typing this. The search terms and the videos related to women, doing things with horses and dogs and god knows what.

of course it’s illegal

Illegal then

Report. Without a doubt.

101

I'm probably not describing this well but - let's say on the normal web, you found a clip of a girl jumping into a swimming pool. There's nothing innately wrong with that but if you were a deviant, you might get disturbed satisfaction out of it. And in amongst the animal stuff, there were things that I would describe as normal 'farm life', cows being milked, sheep being sheared, etc. And then this sick stuff that is definitely not in that category.

If it's bestiality, it's illegal.

That's pretty messed up. Hand the laptop back and say no more.

Yeah that's illegal OP.

Hand his laptop to the police

Do you think he's so thick he thought you wouldn't see it, or do you think he was getting a kick out of you seeing it? Has he ever been inappropriate with you?

Be careful, he may be getting his kicks from knowing that you are seeing it.

Must be reported. It’s not legal. The poor animals