The website traced the message back to the school's computer

Ashley Elliott, 17, used a computer at Charterhouse School in Surrey to post the prank advert about father-of-three Nigel Hadfield.

It said Mr Hadfield was looking for men to "get in touch" for "close encounters and intimate evenings".

He was caught when the school complained to the website and the message was traced back to a computer from the school.

'No truth whatsoever'

Staff at the school - where boarding fees are �19,080 a year, managed to pinpoint Ashley as the culprit because he had had to use his password to log onto the computer used to post the bogus advert.

A spokesman for the school, which is in Godalming, Surrey, said he was suspended for a week, but that no further disciplinary action was going to be taken.

He said: "A boy was suspended after posting inappropriate material on an Internet site concerning a master.

"There was no truth whatsoever in what was posted."

The message was posted on a website specialising in finding friends and accommodation for people visiting or moving to London from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The school spokesman said the message was only on the website for about 12 hours before it was taken down.