A man has appeared in court charged with 19 offences including possessing nearly 10,000 indecent images of children.

Derek O’Rourke, of no fixed address, appeared at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with possessing 9,953 indecent images of children.

The 52-year-old is also accused of making 13 indecent images of children in Stevenage, of possessing indecent images of a person having sex with a dog and of failing to sign the sex offenders’ register between September 14 and October 1 last year.

Mr O’Rourke pleaded not guilty at the hearing and his case has been sent for trial at Cambridge Crown Court on January 21.

He has been remanded in custody until then.