Suicide riddle of jailed paedophile's teenage daughter

A gifted pupil at a leading girls' grammar school has been found dead at home in mysterious circumstances.

Naomi Lindsay, 16, had passed her GCSEs and AS-levels with flying colours and was described as attractive and popular.

But police are investigating the possibility that she took her own life.

Her father, Stewart, is a paedophile given 15 years in 1998 for a string of 30 offences, including rape, gross indecency and indecent assault, committed before Naomi was born.

Friends say, however, that there is no evidence she was bullied over her father's past.

Naomi was a pupil at Leeds Girls' High School, where her mother, Janice, 53, is a teacher in the pre-prep department.

Naomi's sister also works there as a member of support staff.

The family home is a three-bedroom end-of-terrace in the Headingley area.

Leeds Girls' High, founded in 1876, was one of the top-performers in GCSEs last year.

Pupils and staff were said to be "heartbroken and stunned" at the loss last night and have been offered counselling.

Headmistress Sue Fishburn said: "Everyone in the school community is very distressed.

"[Naomi] had a close and supportive group of friends and she was a very attractive young lady with a lot to look forward to.

"Last year she took her GCSE exams and did extremely well, getting four A stars, four A grades and a B. She had also just done well in her first AS exams.

"Our deepest sympathy is extended to her mother and sister and the rest of her family.

"All the girls in her year are being supported by pastoral staff at the school and will have access to trained support if they need it at this difficult time."

Stewart Lindsay was deputy head of Fearnville Special School in Gipton, Leeds, which has now closed.

He confessed his crimes to a psychotherapist in 1988, but it was nine years before he was arrested and prosecuted. He is understood to be still in prison.

A report to the Leeds Area Child Protection Committee criticised the fact that allegations about his conduct had not been formally dealt with by the education authorities, allowing him to escape justice for so long.

A friend of Naomi yesterday said: "I'd never heard about it and I've never heard anyone mention it.

"Even if other people at the school did know what happened, I doubt they'd have given her a hard time.

"She was a really nice girl, very popular."

Naomi's body was discovered on the first floor of her home on Thursday.

Police have refused to comment on which room she was in, or whether there was anything to suggest she might have committed suicide – saying only that her death was "unexplained".

A post-mortem examination was being carried out last night.

Friends have left dozens of messages of condolence on the social networking sites Facebook and MySpace.

One said: "You will always be missed, even by people who didn't know you very well.

"It's amazing how much you touched everyone's lives and you didn't even know it."