A PAEDOPHILE headteacher who made dozens of images of child sexual abuse has been jailed for more than two years. 

Daniel Chapman appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court to be sentenced today. 

He was principal at Hilltop Infant School, in Wickford.

Detectives executed a warrant at Chapman's home address, in Meadgate Avenue, Chelmsford, on Monday, May 20 and seized a mobile phone and a laptop which were later found to contain dozens of indecent images and videos of children, some of which were of the most serious category A images.

Chapman was arrested and later charged with six counts of making indecent photographs of children, one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child, three counts of publishing an obscene article and two counts of possessing an extreme pornographic image. 

The 31-year-old was sentenced today to two-and-a-half years in jail, put on the sex offender's register for ten years, given a ten year sexual harm prevention order and banned from teaching for life. 

Following the sentence, Investigating Officer Detective Constable Nick Riley said: "Daniel Chapman had taken it upon himself to become a safeguarding champion for the school, whilst he was simultaneously involved in activities which promoted the abuse of children, some of who were of a similar age to those he was meant to be safeguarding. 

"He portrayed himself as a respectable head teacher, however was found to have been using messaging applications and social media to engage in making, possessing and publishing incident images of children as young as four. 

"This six month investigation involved some of the most horrific social media messaging concerning child abuse that I had ever investigated and I am therefore delighted that this individual is now paying the price for his appalling actions.

"Every time an indecent image of a child is viewed, it re-victimises that child over and over again. 

"Anyone who accesses indecent images of children provides the need for these images to be created in the first place. They are not just images online, they are real children being abused. 

"Essex Police will do everything it can to identify offenders and bring them to justice and I would like to thank all those involved in bringing this offender to justice."