The hard drive from the former fashion writer's computer, and a diary he wrote while on the lamb, were the subject of testimony at Peter Braunstein's trial yesterday.

The diary, which he penned during the six-week period he spent avoiding authorities, paints a picture of a man who understood his actions:

"The crime was outlandish enough to terrify N.Y.C. but not substantial enough to grip the rest of the nation, where most people have problems of their own and could care less about some N.Y.C. 'sex maniac' who dresses as a fireman," Mr. Braunstein wrote in an entry dated Nov. 20, 2005.

The hard drive held pictures, many downloaded over a year before the Halloween attack, depicting women drugged and tied up. When asked for the specific number of images, Det. Yolanda Johnson testified, "I stopped counting at 300." Braunstein also used the computer to upload photos of his ex-girlfriend Jane Larkworthy to various Web sites.

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