MPs Demand Answers Over Southend Teacher

Law enforcement chiefs have been quizzed by MPs over delays in acting on a tip-off that a teacher from Southend was a suspected paedophile.

Martin Goldberg, 46, who worked at Thorpe Hall School was found dead the day after Essex Police spoke to him about allegations the Maths teacher had covertly filmed pupils.

The Home Affairs Select Committee (Hasc) has written to Keith Bristow, the head of the National Crime Agency (NCA), which took in the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) when it launched last year, about "unacceptable'' reports that the Agency received information on Goldberg as early as July 2012.

It is understood Ceop received the tip-off from Canadian Police working on Operation Spade, an international police investigation into child pornography, in July 2012 but did not contact Essex Police for a year. It is then claimed Essex Police took a further nine months to investigate Goldberg.

Home Affairs Select Committee chair Keith Vaz said: ``Given the nature of the material and the public concern there has been over a number of years, it is totally unacceptable that there appears to be such a delay in acting upon the information received from Canada.

"I have written to Keith Bristow, Director General of the National Crime Agency (NCA) to ask what action was taken by the NCA after receiving information from the Canadian police through Operation Spade.

"I am also writing to the Canadian authorities to ask what steps were taken after acquiring this information.

"We need categorical assurances that the lack of action from the relevant bodies has not left any vulnerable children at risk from further attacks and abuse.

"It is vital that urgent improvements are made to strengthen international cooperation and speed up action following receipt of information, especially where suspects have daily contact with children in their place of work.''

 After Goldberg's computer was seized, officers discovered hundreds of indecent images.

It then emerged that Essex Police had been alerted to the concerns about Goldberg, along with 34 other suspected paedophiles, nine months earlier.

The county's police and crime commissioner Nick Alston then revealed Ceop had received the information in 2012, but had taken a year to pass it on.

In his letter, Mr Vaz presents the NCA director general with a list of eight questions, including ``when was the information from the Canadian Police working on Operation Spade regarding Martin Goldberg received by the NCA'' and "what action was taken by the NCA''.

The case is being reviewed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). Officers have refused to comment further while this process is carried out.

Goldberg was found dead on September 10. His death is not being treated as suspicious.

It is thought that he had taken images of children at the school and other locations using a hidden camera. These pictures are believed to date back to 2000 and feature boys aged between nine and 12.

A police spokesman said: "It is important to stress that we have found no evidence of any other offences by Mr Goldberg involving these children.

"At this time there is nothing to suggest that he made inappropriate physical contact with any child.

"The school has co-operated with our investigation and we have also found no evidence to suggest that anyone else was involved in Mr Goldberg's criminal activity.

"There is also no information that he shared any of these images or that anyone else was aware of his offending.''

A police helpline has been set up on 0800 056 0944, or +44 207 158 0010 for anyone living outside the UK.