A TEACHER sacked from a New Milton school two years ago has been charged with 17 offences of making an indecent image of a child.

Tyrone Mark is alleged to have committed the offences between February and November 2014 – after he was dismissed from Arnewood School in New Milton.

He was sacked in 2013 after forming an inappropriate relationship with a female pupil at the school.

The Daily Echo revealed that he had given the teenager alcohol, condoms and even a key to his house.

He also wrote sexually explicit notes about many of her fellow pupils, some of whom featured in school photographs he kept at his home.

In July 2014 he was found guilty of professional misconduct by the National College for Teaching and Leadership and barred from the profession for life.

At the time Arnewood issued a statement saying a police inquiry had found no evidence of any criminal activity by Mark.

But campaigning parent John Caine, of New Milton, submitted a Freedom of Information Act request and discovered that no such probe had taken place.

Officers finally launched an investigation after receiving a bundle of evidence.

A year ago police confirmed that a man living in Caerphilly, Wales, had been arrested on suspicion of breach of trust offences. He was subsequently bailed on several occasions as police continued their investigation.

This week, police confirmed that Mark has now been charged.

A spokesman said: “Following an investigation by Hampshire Constabulary’s Child Abuse Investigation Team, Tyrone Mark, aged 40, of Linden Court, Pantside, Caerphilly, has been charged with 17 counts of making an indecent image of a child between February 1, 2014 and November 30, 2014.

“He has been released on bail to appear before Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, January 19.”