The investigation into the Northern Irish Priest, who accidentally projected a series of pornographic gay images to a group of parents at a primary school meeting, has been hampered after the theft of the laptop at the centre of the investigation.

Father Martin McVeigh was setting up a slideshow for parents of children taking their First Holy Communion when the 16 "indecent images of men" appeared on the screen.

The audience, which reportedly included an eight-year-old boy, were left "horrified and distracted", according to the BBC.

The holy man is said to have quickly removed his memory stick from the hard drive and "bolted out of the room".

At the time the priest stated he had no knowledge of the offending imagery. A statement released by head of the Catholic Church in Ireland said that Father Martin McVeigh was "co-operating with an investigation of the matter on the part of the archdiocese".

However the investigation is now at risk of falling into disarray after the burglary, during which only the laptop was taken, The Irish Times has reported.

Police have launched a public appeal to help find the computer.