Unfortunately my teenage son has, without my permission, used it to access pornographic websites. I am afraid that this will have been recorded in the laptop’s memory and be used against me. I am terrified to return it or to speak to someone.

FIRSTLY, don’t panic. Hang on! Is this a disguised dilemma - not for me to judge I guess! Yes, a record is kept of Internet activity but this can be easily erased. Go to Start, then Control Panel, choose Internet Options and in this window you may delete the recent history of Internet activity. I suggest that you are more careful with your laptop next time.