Body found in Thames is that of missing New Zealand man

John Sleigh was last seen at The Guanabara Bar in Holborn

A body recovered from the River Thames in central London is that of a New Zealand man who disappeared after a night out, police have confirmed.

John Sleigh, 36, from Battersea, south-west London, vanished after going out in London's West End on 7 May.

Metropolitan Police recovered the body near Blackfriars Bridge on Monday.

Mr Sleigh, an engineering draughtsman, was last seen at the Guanabara Bar in Parker Street, Holborn. Police are not treating his death as suspicious.

But Det Insp Tim Dobson appealed to anyone who may have seen Mr Sleigh, known by many as Johnny, in the early hours of Saturday morning, particularly around Hungerford Bridge.

"We know from CCTV that there were several people using the bridge and any of them may be able assist us in establishing how Johnny came to be in the water," he said.

'Many questions'

Mr Sleigh's family began an online campaign after he went missing. More than 500 people joined a Facebook group leaving messages of support and photographs.

In a statement his parents Peter and Caroline Sleigh, of Waimate, New Zealand, said "many questions" remain over their son's death.

They said: "The days since Johnny went missing have been some of the most difficult in our lives as we waited for news from the other side of the world.

"We very much wanted Johnny to be found alive, but to our great sadness this has not turned out to be the case.

"It is a parent's hope their child will return safely from travels abroad and a parent's nightmare that something happens while they are away."