Originally Posted by FWAAA
Related question: If something has been deleted from your hard drive (recoverable only if you're a forensic investigator), is the perp still in possession of the kiddie porn?
Or is proof that you once were in possession enough for conviction?
IANAL, but I would imagine so. The file is still physically there. Just because you don't have access to it doesn't mean that there's no possession.
Software such as that saved my butt when I wiped and reinstalled my wife's PC. She said she had everything moved to a safe place, but when I was done, 2 years worth of pictures were gone. I used that software to get most of them back.
They were still there, just not accessible to the OS.