Man found dead 'was given clothing' night before

Tanya GuptaSouth East
News imageAdrian Harms/BBC Two police officers stood behind the cordon closing off Hazel Avenue, Guildford, between the junctions with Lime Grove and Willow Way. Several police cars and a van can be seen in the background further up the street.Adrian Harms/BBC
Police believe they know who the man is and have informed his family

A man who was found dead outside a house in Guildford was given clothing by a person who police now want to speak to, as they work to trace the man's steps before he died.

The man who died was in his 30s and his body was found by a member of the public outside a property in Hazel Avenue on Friday, at about 07:15 GMT.

Surrey Police believe he was given clothes by a man near the Travelodge at Woodbridge Meadows last Thursday evening, at about 20:00, and officers now want to speak to him.

"The death is being treated as unexplained, but we do not believe there to be any suspicious circumstances and the person pictured is not a suspect," a spokesman for the force said.

News imageSurrey Police Two pictures show a man who police say they want to trace. The man has black hair and headphones around his neck. He has a white top and black jacket.Surrey Police
Surrey Police have said the man they want to trace is not a suspect

After the man was found, Surrey Police referred the case to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), because officers were in contact with him before he died.

Officers in a police vehicle had dropped him off at a property in the town on Thursday night, after a disturbance was reported at a hotel bar at about 20:30, the IOPC said.

An IOPC spokesman, which is carrying out an independent investigation, has said its inquiry is in its initial stages and investigators are reviewing police logs and body-worn footage.

The watchdog said it would be gathering accounts from the officers involved.

News imageAdrian Harms/BBC Two officers in forensic suits at a van in Hazel Avenue, Guildford. They are both standing near the van, which is red and yellow at the back.Adrian Harms/BBC
Officers are preparing a case for the coroner

The man has not yet been formally identified, but police said they believed they knew who he was.

Officers, who are preparing a case for the coroner, said his next of kin had been informed and their "thoughts remain with them".

Anyone who recognises the man in the pictures is urged to contact police.

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