School 'Shocked' At Missing Girl And Teacher

A maths teacher who is thought to have run away to France with a 15-year-old pupil apparently wrote on his blog about a "moral dilemma" he faced.

There have been no reported sightings of Megan Stammers or 30-year-old Jeremy Forrest since the pair went missing five days ago.

On the blog post titled "You hit me just like heroin", which appears to have been written by Mr Forrest four months ago, he apparently wrote: "About a week ago I had a bit of a moral dilemma to deal with, both internally and externally.

"And the over-riding question it left me with was this, 'How do we, and how should we, define what is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable???'"

After failing to turn up for school on Friday, records show the schoolgirl boarded a ferry from Dover to Calais.

Officers have been in talks with French police in an attempt to trace her, but they do not believe she is at risk.

Mr Forrest, who teaches Megan at the Bishop Bell Church of England School, in Eastbourne, is married and lives in Ringmer, East Sussex.

The school's executive headteacher said pupils and teachers were "shocked" by what had happened and urged the teenager to get in touch with her family.

"Clearly, everyone's main concern is Megan's safe return home," Terry Boatwright said.

"As a matter of urgency the school and local authority are investigating exactly what has happened before deciding what action needs to be taken.

"We are in close contact with police who are at a critical stage of their investigation and, for that reason, we cannot comment further at this stage."

Megan's family have set up a website Megan Stammers Missing to raise awareness about her disappearance.

Posting on the website, her father Martin said: "We just want Megan to make contact with us. We are worried and miss her terribly. Please get in touch Megan."

Appeals for information have also been posted on Facebook and Twitter. On social networking site ask.fm, Megan recently said she was "excited" about her future and that her motto in life was "You only live once".

Police are looking for a black Ford Fiesta with the registration GJ08 RJO, believed to belong to Mr Forrest. They have also made repeated appeals for Mr Forrest to get in touch with them.

But officers have said they do not believe Megan is in any immediate danger.

Detective Inspector Andy Harbour, from Sussex Police, said: "We do not believe Megan to be at risk but we are appealing for her to make contact with her family who are very worried and miss her.

"We know that she crossed from Dover to Calais at around 9.20am on Friday. We believe she is still in France and we are in contact with the French authorities."

Mr Forrest is a keen musician and plays guitar in a band. On the band's website they describe themselves as "the outcasts of every music scene you can think of".

"We play loud and fast, but quiet and slow. We play on acoustic guitars and a drum kit. Currently based in Lewes. We love to play. Feel free to say hello and come to our gigs. Take it easy."

Police believe Megan may have confided in some of her friends that she was planning on running away and detectives are hoping they might be able to provide information that will lead to her safe return.

:: Anyone with information is asked to call officers at Sussex Police on +44 1273 475 432 or text +44 7786 208 090.