The families of sick children who attend a Birmingham hospice are being visited by police after a voluntary worker from the charity was charged with owning sexually-explicit pictures of children.

David Phillip Rollason, of Kingsbury Road, Erdington, who has worked as a volunteer at Acorns Children’s Hospice for the last six years, was charged with two counts of possessing indecent images of children during a preliminary hearing at Sutton Magistrates Court yesterday.

Mr Rollason, who was refused bail and will remain in custody, did not enter a plea but will do so via video link during a plea and case management hearing at the same court on Tuesday.

A team of detectives, specially trained in interviewing children, are visiting every family with youngsters who may have come into contact with the 52-year-old.

Officers are also sifting through indecent images found on computer hard-drives and are trying to establish whether any of the children in them are associated with Acorns.

The charity is also providing support workers to every family who had contact with him.

Police stressed that initial investigations had not revealed any pictures of children associated with the hospice but said further examination of images was continuing.

David Strudley, chief executive of the charity, stressed they carried out the most stringent criminal records checks on all employees and added no volunteer was permitted to work alone with children. He also appealed for the public’s continued financial support which is vital to pay for the care of life-limited children and support for their families.

He said: “I am greatly concerned the wonderful reputation which Acorns justly enjoys worldwide will be damaged by this situation and that the work which we do with these very vulnerable children and their families will be placed in danger by any loss of public support.

“We are dependent on voluntary donations for more than 80 per cent of our income and it is vital to the future of Acorns that our supporters do not desert us at this very difficult time. Everyone at Acorns is shocked and distressed.

“We’re constantly vigilant about our responsibility for ensuring the safety of our very vulnerable children and have award-winning Child Protection Policies and Procedures which are rigorously applied right across the Trust at all times.”

Mr Rollason was arrested on July 8, as part of an intelligence-led operation, but released on bail. He was then re-arrested and charged on Tuesday.

About 25 families are said to have been approached by police.