A Thames Ditton couple are trying solve a riddle which emerged after they bought a digital camera in Kingston.

Nick and Julie Hudson bought an Olympus Digital 500 camera from Jessop's, in Fife Road, on April 29.

But when they downloaded its software onto their computer, they were in for a surprise.

Mr Hudson said: "In the middle of the downloading process, we discovered photographs that are clearly of a new baby.

"There are about 30 shots of the couple from before the birth to shots taken of the newborn baby, dated September 12, 2003."

Baffled Mrs Hudson, who has three children herself, aged eight, five and three, said: "The camera wasn't even on the market when these photos were taken.

"When we downloaded the software onto the computer there were standard samples on the disc but these ones looked too personal to be samples.

"There are lots of photos of the lady while she was pregnant and of the newborn baby in hospital.

"Any parent would want to have these pictures if it was their child."

The couple said that when they saw the photos they though they had somehow got mixed up with the equipment they bought.

But customer advisor at Jessop's Adam Denton, who sold them the camera, said he could not understand what had happened and no one had come in to ask about the missing baby pictures.

He said: "I am bamboozled to say the least. No one has contacted us about these pictures.

"I cannot understand how they got onto the machine's software."

Mrs Hudson is planning to take the camera back to the shop to be checked over.

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