A music teacher was struck off after going back to a flat with a 15- year-old schoolboy and sleeping naked next to him.

Stephen Atkins, a former supply teacher in Edinburgh, met the boy in January 2008 at CC Blooms, a gay nightclub in the city, before they left together. He was found to have cuddled the boy and spent the night in a double bed beside him.

Police became involved after a complaint was made, the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s disciplinary sub-committee heard last week.

The boy said Atkins had given him wine to drink. When he woke up in the morning, he found they were both naked; he felt uncomfortable and left.

Atkins, who was 50 at the time, told police the boy had said he was an S5 pupil. He had found the conversation engaging and invited the boy back to his flat. He said that the boy “gave him the eye” and tried to kiss him.

He told police that he thought he had a responsibility to the boy, who did not have money for a taxi. He offered him money for the night bus, but the boy said he did not want to travel by bus.

Atkins had got into bed fully clothed, he said. He could not give a good explanation why he thought the boy should stay in his bed. The boy was dressed in boxer shorts and a vest when he got in, he said. He accepted that when they woke in the morning they were both naked.

Atkins said he only found out that the boy was aged 15 when the police told him.

The sub-committee noted that Atkins’ evidence varied in a number of ways from the statement he gave to the police.

It found that his conduct fell below the standard expected of a registered teacher, taking into account that Atkins knew the boy was a school pupil.