BRIDGEWATER - A Bridgewater man convicted last fall of having more than 1,000 images of child pornography will now be allowed to use a computer but only if he lets police check what he's doing.

 Fifty-year-old David Blake Conrad was back in Bridgewater provincial court April 1 requesting a change to his probation order.

 He'd been prohibited from using the internet or any computer connected to the internet as part of his sentencing in October. However, Mr. Conrad has a tax business and wanted permission to use a computer for work.

 Judge Jim Burrill agreed to allow him computer access only for work purposes. Mr. Conrad must provide police with the serial number of any computer he uses and must permit officers to review his computer activity.

 Mr. Conrad was sentenced to six months in jail followed by three years on probation last October on charges of accessing and possessing child porn.

 At the time, Judge Burrill said many of the images police found in Mr. Conrad's possession in May 2005 were so disturbing he couldn't find words to describe them. They included images of children ranging in age from infants to adolescents.

 Bridgewater Police arrested Mr. Conrad after employees of an internet caf&È; complained they'd discovered graphic images of children on a public access computer he had been using.

 Investigators found more than 1,000 child porn images on computer discs seized from his home and his jacket when he was arrested. They also found images on his home computer and a folder of printed photos.

 Mr. Conrad is appealing both his conviction and sentence.

 In documents filed with the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, he suggests the computer police seized from his home was second-hand. He says some of the images on the discs were "spam bombs" that he didn't intend to download and other discs were sent to him by business colleagues.

 When Mr. Conrad made similar claims at trial, Judge Burrill concluded he "did not believe one word he said about how he came into possession of this material."

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 Mr. Conrad also says his sentence was too harsh since he had no criminal record and was gainfully employed and well-respected in the business community.

 No date has been set to hear the appeal.

 Meanwhile, Mr. Conrad is due back in court in June to face an allegation that he breached his release terms by accessing the internet at the Bridgewater Library while awaiting trial.

posted on 04/07/09