Shamed school head Bob Shepherd, who was convicted of downloading gay child porn from the Internet, has been sacked.

Governors of Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Cuckfield, met on Monday to seal Shepherd's fate.

There was a delay in announcing the decision because he was not at home in Whitemans Green, Cuckfield, and governors had to track him down before making it public.

Shepherd was suspended from the school last year during the police investigation.

The 52-year-old father-of-four faces a potential jail term when he is sentenced on March 14.

A spokeswoman for West Sussex County Council told the Argus: "The matter was considered by the governors at a meeting on Monday evening and they decided it would be appropriate for Mr Shepherd to be dismissed.

"Mr Shepherd has now been informed of this."

The school declined to comment and Paul Goldfinch, chairman of governors, was unavailable for comment.

Jerry Woolgar, who pulled his three children out of the school because of Shepherd's "aggressive" attitude, said: "Someone has to stand up and be accountable. Everyone is passing the buck."

Mr Woolgar, from Cuckfield, added: "People are saying, 'we've got to feel sorry for Mr Shepherd, we've said prayers for him in church'. Has anybody said prayers for the poor boys in those photos?

"The police did a sterling job in exposing him for the pervert he is."

The search is now on for a replacement for Shepherd.

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