Mystery man found dead in harbour in 1989 'from Blackburn' (From This Is Lancashire)

Mystery man found dead in harbour in 1989 'from Blackburn'

9:50pm Thursday 29th July 2010 in

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DETECTIVES investigating the death of a mystery man more than 20 years ago have made a new breakthrough.

The man was found dead in Scarborough harbour in May 1989 – and has never been identified.

But following a press appeal, including in the Lancashire Telegraph, a witness has told officers that he recognises a police sketch of the man as someone who used to drink in pubs in Blackburn.

The witness, who now lives in Scarborough, said the mystery man was a regular in Shadsworth and Intack pubs in the late 1980s, and spoke with a local accent.

He also said he recognised him as a fellow inmate in Kirkham Prison, near Preston, around the same time.

Detective Sergeant Stuart Thompson, from North Yorkshire Police, said: “I am delighted that this new information has come to light and I would be very grateful to anyone else who can help the investigation if they came forward.

“In particular, if people from the Blackburn area can cast their minds back to the 1980s and see if they know who this man is, I would be very keen to hear from them.”

Last week police reopened the case, releasing a sketch of how the man may have looked at the time of his death.

Detectives estimated his age at between 30 and 60. He was white, around 5ft 10ins tall, and weighed approximately 12 stone.

However, little else is known about him.

He stayed in a hotel in Scarborough for two nights before his death and had only a few possessions, including a cheque book and a Blackburn to Todmorden rail ticket.

After he died, he was placed in a police mortuary before being cremated at Scarborough cemetery on January 10, 1990.

Urging witnesses to come forward, DS Thompson added: “If you lost someone in 1989 and you don’t know what happened to them, then this man could be that person.”

Call police on 0845 6060247.