Both Delfi and Postimees reported on Tuesday that the Loo school, just outside Tallinn, had dismissed long-serving mathematics teacher Allar-Reinhold Veelmaa, following allegations he had inappropriately communicated outside of school hours with a student who was a minor.

"The teacher was asked for explanations, and one of those explanations was such that it no longer allowed for the employment contract to continue," school director Ants Rebane said.

Valmar Viitak, head of the serious crimes unit at the PPA's Northern Prefecture, said the suspect had been tracked down thanks to a tip-off received via the Lasteabi child helpline.

"We immediately started corroborating this serious tip-off, spoke with witnesses, and carried out a search of the man's home, in order to find evidence. We verified the tip-off that the man had communicated indecently with a student online and had sexually enticed them, which is why we immediately detained him," Viitak said.

Since concerns remained that the suspect might continue offending, the prosecutor's office requested he be taken into custody. The first-tier Harju County Court agreed and, on September 26, remanded the suspect in custody, for one month.

Annika Vanatoa, prosecutor at the Northern District Prosecutor's Office, heading the proceedings, said that it is not permitted for an adult to engage in sexually explicit conversations with a child under 16 or to arrange meetings, adding that this is punishable by law.

"Although the current investigation is ongoing, it is clear that when it comes to sexually explicit conversations and arranging meetings, the responsibility always lies with the adult," Vanatoa said.

Vanatoa added that evidence collected in the proceedings so far only points to indecent online communication, and not potential crimes involving actual contact, while Viitak noted that if an adult writes or speaks indecently to a minor, or shares other inappropriate content with them, that minor should immediately exit the conversation and inform either their parents, another trusted adult, or the PPA.

Delfi reported Veelmaa is running Veelmaa is running on the Social Democrats' (SDE) list in Jõelähtme rural municipality, adding the party's secretary general, Piret Hartman, said the matter was being taken "very seriously" and that the hope was that "the person will understand his inappropriate behavior and make a responsible decision to leave the party."

Postimees stated Veelmaa has worked as a math teacher for around 30 years.

The child helpline can be contacted on 116 111. The website in English is here.

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