A 32-YEAR-OLD male teacher has been sacked from Castle High School as he faces nine charges of possessing almost 100,000 indecent images of children downloaded from the internet.

Matthew Bullas, was arrested at his Halesowen home on November 16, when his personal computer equipment was seized and passed to West Midlands Police’s Child Online Safeguarding Team.

The St James’s Road secondary school was informed and he was immediately suspended.

Police say none of the alleged images on his home computer were of past or present pupils of the school and there is no evidence of inappropriate contact between himself and students.

The charges include possessing more than 98,000 still photographs and video footage, with five at the most serious level. The teacher has since been dismissed after being charged yesterday, as letters were sent out to all parents detailing the investigation.

He is set to appear at Dudley Magistrates Court on Wednesday, May 9.

A dedicated telephone helpline – 01384 816783 - has been set up by Dudley Council for any worried parents to get in touch, which will remain open until Saturday.

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Hyde, from the force’s Public Protection Department, said: “We do not underestimate the impact this news will have on all those connected with the school and the wider community.

“Because of this, we have been working in close partnership with the school and Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council throughout this investigation - our absolute priority is the safety and welfare of children.

“It is important to stress that, the alleged indecent images were not downloaded on school systems and do not feature any child who currently attends the school or has attended the school in the past.”

Jane Porter, acting director of children's services said: "We can confirm that a member of staff at Castle High School has been dismissed following an investigation. We are unable to comment further as this may prejudice legal proceedings."