Police say the images were found on the student's own computer

The charges follow an inquiry into the sex scandal in St Poelten, west of Vienna, which has shocked Austria.

A state prosecutor said images of child pornography and violent pornography were found on the college's main computer and the student's hard drive.

If found guilty, the student could face two years in prison.

St Poelten state prosecutor, Walter Nemec, said in a statement that the material downloaded on the main computer could not be traced to an individual as all the students used the same password.

But they said they could rule out the Polish student as the one who had accessed the images on the main computer.

Prank

The images are also reported to include pictures of students kissing and fondling each other and their older instructors.

Mr Nemec said the police investigation had focused only on the child pornography aspect of the case, as "homosexual relations between consenting adults not involving the abuse of an authority relationship" was not a crime in Austria.

The bishop in charge of the diocese, Kurt Krenn, has dismissed the images as a "schoolboy prank" and rejected calls for his resignation.

Mr Krenn's spokesman told the Austria Press Agency that the Polish student had been expelled and investigations were under way to see if others were involved.

Both the director and deputy head of the seminary have resigned.