THE disgraced deputy head of Princess Diana's former school is unlikely to face jail following his "guilty" plea to possessing child pornography.

A further charge William Whillock, 56, had caused or incited a child to engage in sexual activity has been left on the court file.

Prosecutors decided it would be inappropriate to proceed with it following his "not guilty" plea to the offence.

Whillock, of Headcorn Road in Staplehurst, was deputy head of The New School at West Heath when he was caught in possession of seven child sex abuse images in the least serious level-one category.

He pleaded guilty to four charges of possessing indecent images of a child between November 10 last year and January 14 this year.

He was arrested in front of staff and pupils at the school on January 14.

At a hearing on Wednesday last week, Judge Philip Statman indicated jail was unlikely, but he will be making a sexual offences prevention order and Whillock will be placed on the sexual offenders' register.

Sentencing has been adjourned until May 21.

Whillock was one of three designated child protection co-ordinators at The New School at West Heath, which pledges on its web site the aim "to rebuild young damaged lives through education".

Judge Statman expressed concern that Whillock was working with children and made it clear that in the future it will become an offence for him to apply for such a job.

The court was told by prosecutor Edmund Fowler that the circumstances in which the photographs came into being were clear and that what could be alleged in the inciting charge was "entirely what has occurred" in the indecent images charges.

He said as far as the incitement charge was concerned, the vulnerability of the girl involved, now aged 17, had been taken into consideration.

"It is not in the public interest to take these matters any further in relation to her," he added.

Judge Statman said the matter had been "reviewed at a very high level indeed".

The girl's father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "I feel sorry for his family – he's let them down.

"Once he came around and took her out for coffee. I just thought he was a good teacher, I didn't realise he had an ulterior motive."

He added his daughter had been more positive in recent months and hoped his family would be able to put their ordeal behind them.

The school at the centre of the case was at one time attended by Princess Diana.

It closed the day after she died in 1997. It was reopened as The New School at West Heath following a donation by Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed in 1998.

Head teacher Christina Wells declined to comment.