British man murdered in New Orleans

A BRITISH teacher battered to death in New Orleans was believed to have been the victim of a mugger who wanted his camcorder, a relative of the dead man said last night.

The body of Adrian Strasser, 36, of Edinburgh, was found on Saturday in the French quarter of the city. He had arrived the day before with his fiancee Margaret Reece, after a week in California.

Mr Strasser had apparently been hit on the head three times, each of the blows causing a skull fracture and brain damage, said a local coroner, Frank Minyard. The dead man's uncle, James Strasser, said: 'We understand he was mugged for the camcorder he was carrying.' He added: 'He was very quiet and reserved and not likely to get into trouble.'

Mr Strasser taught at Tower Bank primary school in Portobello, Edinburgh, and lived in the Haymarket district of the Scottish capital.

Ms Reece, who works for Scotsman Publications in the city, is expected to return there today. She said she had left her fiance after a meal: 'I was tired and I just wanted to go back to my room, and he wanted to go for a few drinks.'