Fears for missing sex case teacher

A head teacher accused of a sex assault on a pupil has disappeared sparking fears he has committed suicide.

Alastair Wilbee, a 47-year-old father of two, went missing after learning that his details were about to be made public.

He is accused of indecent assault on a 14-year-old pupil and has already appeared in court where he denied the charge.

Today his wife Gail, speaking from the family home on the Isle of Wight, said he was in a "distressed state" when he vanished eight days ago. There has been no contact since then.

Mrs Wilbee said: "His deep grief at the waste of his professional life and the loss of standing in the community that he saw as the inevitable result of the publication of his name and address have placed my family and me in the current traumatic and possibly tragic situation.

"My husband's suffering has highlighted the vulnerability of professionals working with children."

Wilbee, headteacher at Summerfield Primary School in Newport on the Isle of Wight, was suspended in May after he was accused of indecently assaulting a boy under the age of 14.

Mrs Wilbee said staff at the school had given her husband their full backing.

Wilbee, who was recently singled out for praise by Ofsted inspectors, made his first court appearance before magistrates on 21 August when he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

He was due to appear in court again on 16 October for committal to Crown Court but was reported missing from his home in Shanklin by his son last Friday. His details were also about to be published in his local paper.

Mrs Wilbee, 48, also a teacher, described her husband as a caring family man and said she and their two teenage sons were desperate for his safe return.

She said his case showed the need for "protection of people who dedicate their lives to young people".

Police dogs and a spotter plane are being used in an attempt to find the headteacher.

But a Hampshire and Isle of Wight police spokesman said: "We are concerned and are appealing for any information on his whereabouts."

Wilbee was thought to be wearing a red T-shirt and brown trousers and is not thought to have had any money or credit cards on him.

The most recent Ofsted report said that Wilbee's leadership had led to "very good" moral and social development among pupils at the school.