A SENIOR police officer has been accused of a string of child sex offences.

Insp Richard Croft, based at Basildon police station, is charged with eight counts of sexual assault on a child.

The offences are alleged to have taken place over several years. Croft, 49, was arrested by officers from the Brentwood child abuse investigation unit and quizzed before being charged.

He was remanded in police custody and has appeared at Grays Magistrates' Court. After the short hearing he was remanded to Belmarsh prison, London.

Croft was an inspector at Billericay from 2001 to 2005. One of the major cases he became involved with was the fatal shooting of Billy Williams at the Crays Hill traveller site. He became the force's spokesman to reassure the public in the aftermath of the killing.

He gave evidence at a public inquiry over the traveller camp in 2003, where he outlined the number of recorded crimes linked to the site.

Croft was transferred to Laindon police station in November 2005 after an internal shake-up saw the role of inspector at Billericay and Wickford merged and replaced with a single officer.

He returned to the central Basildon police station last year as a response team inspector.

Croft, of St Charles Road, Brentwood, will appear at Basildon Crown Court tomorrow where he is expected to enter a plea to the charges.