Police hunt porn probe city teacher

Brendan Leonard, a physics teacher at Portobello High School, disappeared from his Leith home last week.

He was suspended from work after police seized his home computer.

Police forces around the country have been alerted to his disappearance, and detectives

are focusing on the possibility the keen hillwalker may be in the Fort William area, or elsewhere on the west coast in the Highlands.

Mr Leonard, who lived alone at a flat in Dalmeny Street, was known to have frequently travelled to these areas on climbing trips.

The 33-year-old is among around 100 people in Scotland suspected of accessing child pornography over the internet.

They include a Corstorphine church minister, who has also been suspended pending the outcome of the probe. A priest and two other teachers are also being investigated.

The nationwide investigation - called Operation Falcon - began after police found a child porn website was operating out of the former Soviet republic of Belarus.

It was connected to a company based in Jacksonville, Florida, which processed the credit card details of those accessing the website. Police tracked down users from their credit card details.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "We are actively looking for Mr Leonard as we are concerned for his welfare.

"We would appeal to anyone who may have information to contact police."

A spokeswoman for Edinburgh City Council’s education department said: "We can confirm that as soon as the department was notified of the situation, the member of staff was suspended.

"It is now the subject of a police investigation and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this stage."

Twelve people have been arrested and another 80 are being quizzed by detectives following raids across Scotland earlier this month as part of the operation.

Last week, a shocked congregation at Corstorphine Old Church was told their minister, Rev Jim Bain, had been suspended from his duties pending the outcome of the police inquiry.

The minister appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and his manse was searched by detectives as part of a series of co-ordinated raids by police forces across the country. The operation originally began in the US after the FBI identified a website involved in the alleged distribution of pornographic images involving children.

Police in the US traced credit card details to customers around the world and passed the information on to the relevant forces.

Officers from all eight Scottish forces searched a total of 119 premises, seizing 216 computers in the raids, which started on Thursday, June 3. Police have confirmed that a Roman Catholic priest and three schoolteachers - including a deputy head - were among those caught up in the operation.

A taxi driver who had responsibility for taking children to and from school is also among those being questioned by police.

Assistant Chief Constable Nicol MacMillan of Strathclyde Police, who led the investigation, said: "This operation, like Operation Ore before it, sends a very powerful message that any kind of child abuse will never be tolerated.

"Viewing sickening images of children being abused is not a victimless crime and the Scottish forces will do everything in their power to track down those responsible for such despicable practices.

"While inquiries are at a very early stage in relation to the investigation, we are content with the way it has gone so far," he said.