A senior police officer who is accused of setting fire to a car appeared at court today.

Chief Superintendent Jim Trotman, of Thames Valley Police, was arrested following a police probe into the damage caused to his leased Citroen Picasso.

The ex-Royal Marine and former Oxford commander, aged 44, appeared at Swindon Crown Court today for a brief hearing in relation to the blaze on October 20 last year.

He stands charged with one count of arson, two counts of fraud by false representation and one count of perverting the course of justice.

Father-of-two Trotman, from Abingdon, was arrested in February at his desk at Thames Valley Police headquarters in Kidlington where he was in charge of the force's strategic planning.

It followed an investigation launched by the force's Professional Standards Department.

Trotman was ordered to return to court on July 16 where he is expected to make a formal plea.