Intent matters. If the court (it's not that a laxative issue is likely to come to a full court, but still) believes that you did actually put laxatives in your

Intent matters. If the court (it's not that a laxative issue is likely to come to a full court, but still) believes that you did actually put laxatives in your drink because of your digestive issues, then that's legal, but if they get convinced that you did it with the intent to mess with your coworker, then the exact same action is illegal. In a smilar manner, if the court considers it plausible that you did just happen to have that file among various exploits that you store there for a specific reasonable purpose, then that would be legal, but it is illegal if the court considers it likely that you placed the exact same file there with the intent that it will destroy evidence - perhaps based on some other evidence, such as your online discussions on this topic and the timestamps of downloading and placing that file in relation to whatever other crime they are investigating. Yes, there are many variables in play, but it doesn't make the problem undecidable, if it comes to court, your lawyer and the prosecution will point to them and the jury will decide.