A deputy headmaster who abused a teenager and got her to send naked photos of herself to him was today ordered to pay damages to his victim by the High Court.

William Whillock, of Headcorn Road, Staplehurst, admitted having indecent images of the girl - but was allowed to walk free on a community order five years ago.

But now, top judge Sir Robert Nelson has condemned the 62-year-old as a sex abuser and ordered him to pay a six-figure bill for damages and legal costs.

Whillock's power over the girl, who was 16 when he began grooming her, was so great that she remains fond of him even now, said the judge.

She only agreed to sue the company which owns the school after being urged to do so by her father, the court heard.

Awarding the woman almost £60,000 in damages, the judge described the consequences of the abuse as "dire".

"It is in the very nature of successful grooming that the victim may become infatuated" - judge, Sir Robert Nelson

After Whillock was arrested she had attempted suicide and for some time insisted that he was "her friend Bill" and that he had done nothing wrong.

But the judge said there had always been an ulterior motive behind Whillock's apparent kindness to the already vulnerable teenager and that he had taken advantage of his role as a "father figure" to the girl.

He added: "It is in the very nature of successful grooming that the victim may become infatuated."

When police first raided Whillock's flat they found a seedy collection of obscene polaroids and computer images.

Inappropriate text messages passed between him and the girl, who he called "princess", and she sent him 14 pictures of herself, either naked, topless or in her underwear.

After winning the teenager's trust, he had taken her to a motorway service station before sexually abusing her in his car.

The judge found that the abuse included touching and fondling, but stopped short of full sex.

The consequences for the teenager were devastating, effecting her ability to form relationships and her chances of success in the workplace.

The total payout of £59,356 included £35,000 to reflect the woman's 'pain, suffering and loss of amenity'.

The compensation is payable by the school's owners, who will also have to pay tens of thousands more in legal costs.

But the judge said they will now be seeking all their money back from Whillock personally.

At the trial, in 2010, Whillock was given a three-year community order with supervision and ordered to attend a sex offenders' programme.