ALLEGED fraudster Peter Murray Cowan today claimed he had never dealt in fake computer software.The 40-year-old of Sirdar Road, Ipswich was giving evidence in the case against him at Bury St Edmunds Crown Court.

ALLEGED fraudster Peter Murray Cowan today claimed he had never dealt in fake computer software.

The 40-year-old of Sirdar Road, Ipswich was giving evidence in the case against him at Bury St Edmunds Crown Court.

The former prospective Ipswich Borough Councillor, is accused of distributing unauthorised copies of Microsoft Office '97 and attempting to distribute copies of Microsoft NT Server. Two further charges against him have been dropped.

The jury were shown three CD's bearing the Microsoft logo and the name Microsoft Office '97 that the prosecution claims Murray Cowan sold.

Taken to the witness stand, Murray Cowan denied any knowledge of them and said he had never seen anything else like them.

He told the jury that they were American CD's and that CD's in the UK would have been grey. Those shown to the court were blue.

Murray Cowan, who was trading under the banner of Computersoft from Stoke Street, Ipswich at the time of the alleged offences, said he would check products that were delivered to him.

The prosecution claims he attempted to distribute fake copies of Microsoft NT Server. But he claims he checked the certificate of authenticity on the side of each product before selling them on. He said the certificate was heat sensitive and would go clear if it was genuine. He told the court he used heat from a kettle to carry out this process.

The trial continues.