Breakthrough in burning body mystery

The body which was found a year ago may have been identified

Police believe they have identified a man whose burning remains were found a year ago.

A cyclist found the victim in a field close to the A1 at Upton, near the Cambridgeshire border with Northamptonshire, on 21 December 2002.

The man had been stabbed and shot before his body was set on fire.

The case has baffled officers who have been using various agencies, including Interpol, in an attempt to establish his identity.

On Christmas Eve police said they had new information but would not give any details.

'Challenging case'

Detectives are waiting for the results of a forensic test to get a positive identification.

Cambridgeshire Police Acting Detective Superintendent David Hankins said it had been a very challenging case but it seemed at last there had been a breakthrough.

On the anniversary of the man's death on Sunday a spokesman said they were determined to identify the man and to find his killer.

Anyone who had been in the area of the Cooper Roller Bearings factory on Wisbech Road at King's Lynn in Norfolk in the late evening of 20 December or the early hours of 21 December 2002 was asked to contact them.

The man was buried at Peterborough's Eastfield Cemetery in July.