THE body of a man found in woodland close to where dead French student Celine Figard's body was found almost 10 years ago has been formerly identified.

The man, found on Monday, May 17, in woodland alongside the A449 near Ombersley has been named as Joseph James Thain, aged 59, of Derby Close, Hayes, Middlesex.

A spokesman for South Worcestershire Police said the delay in naming the dead man was due to difficulties in locating and informing his next-of-kin.

"Investigations are continuing to identify how the body came to be there," said the spokesman.

"Mr Thain is not believed to have any direct connections with the area."

Tests into the cause of death have so far proved inconclusive, he added.

A post mortem was due to be opened and adjourned by the coroner for Worcestershire, Victor Round, at Stourport-upon-Severn today.

Villagers in Ombersley were in shock when police officers swarmed through Hawford Wood following the grim discovery of the man's body.

For many of the villagers, the discovery was a painful reminder of when 19-year-old accountancy student Ms Figard's naked body was found dumped in woodland in the same area, in December 1995.

In October 1996, lorry driver Stuart Morgan from Poole, Dorset, was sentenced to life imprisonment after an 11-day trial at Worcester Crown Court.

He had strangled Ms Figard and, during her ordeal, she was raped by the father-of-three, who had battered her with enough force to break her cheek and jaw bone.