All charges were dropped against Steve Gray after important evidence gathered a police officer in the case was challenged.

The 46-year-old had always denied the four charges of making indecent images of children.

The charges represented a total of 92 allegedly indecent images, classed by the police as being of the two least serious levels, and Mr. Gray, of Charlotte Street, Rugby, was to have stood trial after pleading not guilty.

But at a hearing for an application to be made to adjourn the trial date at Warwick Crown Court, prosecutor Andrew Smith dramatically said it had been decided to offer no evidence against Mr. Gray.

He explained that 'late last week' the prosecution had been served with a report by a computer expert who also acts as a police expert elsewhere in the country.

"He has challenged certain of the opinions made by a police officer who has had conduct of part of the case, including the level of classification," he added.

"The prosecution has had an opportunity to consult with an expert hi-tech officer, and we have considered the images and we are satisfied that certain of the images have been incorrectly classified.

"There is a good argument that the others reveal nothing of a criminal nature," he added.

So Judge Marten Coates formally entered not guilty verdicts on Mr. Gray, who was not at court to hear the decision.