Ex-Sheriff of Canterbury Martin Fisher has today appeared in court accused of offences relating to child sex abuse images.

The 64-year-old former Conservative, of Queens Road, Whitstable, withheld pleas to 10 offences said to have happened between 2011 and last year.

Fisher is charged with one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child, three of possessing indecent photographs of children, five of making indecent images of children and one of deleting the internet history on his computer contrary to the terms of a sexual offences prevention order.

Prosecutors allege images and words relating to searches for pictures of children were found on his computer following a visit from police in July last year.

They also accuse him of deleting the computer's internet history on the day of the visit.

Dressed in a blue tie and cream trousers and jacket, the ex-insurance broker was released on bail after the hearing.

He has conditions not to own any device capable of accessing the internet unless monitored by the police.

Fisher was elected to Canterbury City Council to represent Tankerton ward in 2007 and became Sheriff of Canterbury, second to the Lord Mayor, shortly afterwards.

City magistrates transferred the case to Canterbury Crown Court where Fisher is due on Monday, March 17.