A former M&G employee has told a UK court that he did not post fake pornographic pictures of a co-worker online, claiming that evidence to support his case was destroyed in a lightning strike on his home.

As part of a two-day harassment trial at Hendon Magistrate’s Court, the prosecution alleged that 25-year-old Davide Buccheri of Bologna in Italy uploaded photos of former intern Rebecca Baker from social media to a pornographic website after she rejected his romantic interests.