A SCOTTISH primary school teacher has been murdered while on holiday

in New Orleans with his pregnant fiancee, US police said last night.

The body of Mr Adrian Strasser, 36, from Edinburgh, was found with

head injuries at 7am on Saturday in the historic but rundown French

Quarter.

Police Sergeant Gilbert Johnson said his gold watch and wallet were

still on the body and there was no indication that anything had been

stolen. There were no immediate suspects, he added.

Orleans parish coroner Mr Frank Minyard said: ''It looks like he was

hit on top of his head three times and each one of the blows caused a

skull fracture and brain damage.''

Mr Strasser's fiancee, Ms Margaret Reece, 38, said they arrived in New

Orleans on Friday and checked into a guest house. They had spent a week

in California and planned to spend five days in the city before visiting

New York.

They had had dinner at a restaurant in the French Quarter.

Ms Reece, who is also from Edinburgh and works for The Scotsman as an

advertising executive, said: ''We had gone for a meal at 7pm. I was

tired and I just wanted to go back to my room and he wanted to go for a

few drinks and shoot some movies with his new camera -- a gift from his

dad.

''I believe Adrian must have either wandered off by himself into a bad

neighbourhood, or was befriended by someone who perhaps took him into

the area where he was killed.

''The police don't really know what happened. Adrian was a great

traveller and loved to meet the local people and look at new places.''

The dead man's uncle, Mr James Strasser, 76, of Elm Row, Edinburgh,

said: ''We understand he was mugged for the camcorder he was carrying.''

Mr Strasser's father, Ernest, a retired Navy officer whose wife

died six months ago, was last night at home at Penicuik, near

Edinburgh, awaiting further news of his son's death from the Foreign

Office before travelling to New Orleans.

Ms Reece said she had known Mr Strasser for four years and they lived

in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh.

''Adrian had a law

degree from Edinburgh University but never practised,'' she said.

''Instead, he helped run his parents' haberdashery shops in the city.

''This is especially tragic because he finally landed a great job

teaching at Tower Bank primary school in Portobello last June, after a

seven-month wait. He loved the kids and he loved to teach.''

She said Mr Strasser had been to America before and had always wanted

to visit New Orleans.

''He loved jazz and one of his favourite movies was The Big Easy.''

Ms Reece was thought to be returning to Scotland yesterday.

* Almost exactly a year ago, British holidaymaker Julie Stott, 27,

from Manchester, was shot dead by a mugger when she and her boyfriend,

Peter Ellis, were held up as they walked back to their hotel from the

French Quarter in New Orleans during the city's jazz festival.

Four men are in prison awaiting trial on charges of her murder and

accessory to murder.

Mr Ellis survived the attack but Miss Stott was reported to have been

shot as she tried to hide under a car. New Orleans police said they

believed the motive for the robbery was money to buy the drug crack.