Murder appeal on German TV

Police will show a sketch of the murder victim on German TV

Detectives are hoping a German TV show could hold the key to unlocking the identity of man whose burned body was found in England.

Two officers will travel to Munich to appeal for clues on the German equivalent of Crimewatch, Aktenzeichen XY.

Forensic tests on the body showed the man had spent four weeks in north Germany or Holland before his death.

His body was discovered in December 2002 at a field in Upton on the Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire border.

He had been shot, stabbed and then set on fire.

Cambridgeshire Police have already made an appeal on the BBC's Crimewatch, but are now taking the case to Germany.

Someone out there is missing a son, a brother or even a father and they have a right to know the fate of their loved one. Acting Det Ch Insp Bert Deane

Detective Sergeant David Liddle and German-speaking Constable Iain Darlington will appear on the show this Friday.

They will show a reconstruction of the man's face, pictures of a cigarette lighter found close to the body and a T-shirt similar to the one the victim had been wearing.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Bert Deane, who is leading the investigation, said he hoped the clues would spark a reaction.

"We know he spent some time around north Germany or Holland in the few weeks before he died.

"I am hoping that someone may recognise the reconstruction of his face or identify him from the description.

German speakers

"Someone out there is missing a son, a brother or even a father and they have a right to know the fate of their loved one."

The man's body was found on 21 December.

He is thought to have been born in the Ukraine and lived in Britain, possibly the east coast, for six years before he died.

He is described as white with possible Asian or Middle Eastern features, aged between 30 and 45 years old.