MORE than 5,000 people have called for a paedophile headteacher’s sentence to be increased.

Disgusted parents have launched a bid to have Daniel Chapman kept locked behind bars for much longer than his two-and-a-half year sentence passed last Wednesday.

The 31-year-old, former head of Hilltop Infant School in Wickford was sent to prison after admitting 12 child abuse crimes.

They included making dozens of indecent images of children, possessing extreme animal pornography and sending horrific messages detailing how he would abuse children.

The petition was launched on change.org on Friday, by the user “Parents of Wickford Children”, and has since gained more than 3,600 signatures within four days.

The petition says: “A statement released by Essex Police said ‘This six month investigation involved some of the most horrific social media messaging concerning child abuse that I had ever investigated’.

“Mr Chapman has been put on the sex offenders register for only 10 years as well as his two and half year sentence and a sexual harm prevention order and banned from teaching for life.

“We are campaigning for a longer prison sentence to be given as well as being on the sex offenders register for life.”

Chapman, of Meadgate Avenue, Chelmsford, was told by Judge Patricia Lynch that he was “despicable” and the images and messages he shared were “revolting”.

He was banned with working with children for life.

Despite this, the petition has garnered many messages of support from parents.

Laura Clayton wrote: “The sentencing is wrong and unjust, for all of those poor innocent children involved and all of the children in which he has come into contact with daily as a ‘headteacher’ or any ‘teacher’ role.”

Emily Stops added: “The children who were pictured in the abuse photos will have to suffer for the rest of their lives.”

To view the petition, visit http://bit.ly/2qyXqbN.