I have two points I want to raise. The first will be nice and calm (I hope ) then I shall jump on my soapbox for a bit of a rant.....
In this case, IF the customs guys had forewarning, I think that maybe it would have been more prudent to pass it onto the police and let them deal with it. This may have enabled the police to catch more than just this one guy. It would also have allowed for this being an unsolicited email to be investigated properly without the consequent embarrassment, etc to the individual involved (if it was unsolicited - remember we do not know any real facts here, it is mostly speculation).
It also would have let the issue be resolved away from the public eye. God knows how I would feel if (rightly or wrongly) I was escorted away in the Customs hall because of child porn. And before others get up and say that the pilot's feelings are of no consequence - show me the court judgment that he is guilty. There is none yet so he needs to be treated with as much dignity and respect as anyone else.
Which brings me to my rant. 'If you have nothing to hide, then what is the problem?' What a load of CR@P! Have you never heard of the presumption of innocence? Have you never heard of arrest warrants? Have you never heard of search warrants?
Do you think that the police should be able to enter your house and search it for no reason, destroying walls, photos, etc. in the process? If you find that idea wrong, why - 'If you have nothing to hide, then what is the problem', right? If you do find it wrong, then you have just shot your own argument to pieces.
When we take that little saying as the basis for action by state officers, say goodbye to our freedom from state interference. The reason why we have restrictions placed on state action is to allow us to go about our daily lives without being searched by police; without wondering if the laugh we are having on the phone may land us in gaol as terrorist suspects; without being locked up for 2 weeks without charge just because the state thinks you might know something about a terrorist act (which may or may not even have been planned or executed) then released and not even be able to tell your wife where you were, much less the boss who fired you a week ago for being off work without notice!
I abhor that phrase and all that follows from it. We are a (supposedly) free people who can expect minimal state interference until there is a reasonable suspicion we have done something wrong. That one little line destroys that whole expectation.