A SENIOR council education officer has pleaded guilty to a child pornography offence.

Dean Waller, 34, of Maryland Road, Tunbridge Wells, was charged on Wednesday, January 23, with making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child.

He appeared before Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court last Friday when he pleaded guilty. His case has been committed to Maidstone Crown Court for sentence. A date is yet to be fixed.

Waller, who is responsible for school place planning and admissions with Medway council, has been suspended from his job.

He played a leading role in the public consultation for the council’s plan to close Temple and Chapter schools, in favour of a new academy.

He attended most of the meetings between October and November last year, when he spoke to parents, staff and pupils about the proposals.

* ’Pseudo-photograph’ means an image, whether made by computer graphics or other means, which appears to be a photograph.