A primary school head teacher has appeared in court accused of accessing more than 160,000 indecent images and videos of children.

Richard Williams, who resigned from St Mary’s in Chilham after his arrest in November, is facing three charges covering an eight-year period between 2008 and 2016.

The 48-year-old appeared before Maidstone magistrates on Friday but did not enter a plea to allegations of ‘making’ the indecent images - hundreds of them in the most graphic Category A bracket.

The offence of ‘making’ can mean knowingly opening an illicit image, visiting an illegal web page or searching for child sex photos or videos online.

Parents of pupils at St Mary’s were called to an urgent meeting in March to be told news of the charges facing Williams.

Kent County Council said he was immediately suspended following his arrest and banned from entering the school site.

He then resigned with immediate effect following a meeting with the school’s chair of governors and KCC’s area education officer.

A council spokesman said at the time: “The police have found no evidence to suggest that any child in the school or any other school that Mr Williams has been involved in has been affected.”

Williams was living in Alexander Drive, Faversham, at the time of his arrest but the court heard he has since moved to Midhurst in West Sussex.

He has been bailed to appear at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday, May 26.