Fresh bid to solve 10-year Canonbie woodland body mystery

A fresh bid is being made to identify a man found dead in woodland near a south of Scotland village a decade after his body was discovered.

The find was made at Burnside Plantation close to Canonbie on 20 December 2010.

Despite extensive investigations in Scotland and overseas he has never been identified.

Det Insp Stephen Bell said he hoped somebody might remember something which could lead to a breakthrough.

There were considerable efforts at the time to try to identify the man but without success.

Worldwide missing person inquiries did not produce any results, nor did the publication of an image of the forensic reconstruction of his face.

The man was aged between 40 and 60, with a bald head and clean shaven face.

He was wearing a green safari hat, brown cord jacket, black trousers and grey ankle boots.

An Italian newspaper was found nearby.

Det Insp Bell said they still hoped to identify the man on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the body's discovery.

"Unfortunately through the last 10 years all investigations have led to no identifications being found for this gentleman," he said.

"There are no suspicious circumstances and what we are appealing for is anybody that has a memory or a thought of who he is to come forward so we can investigate it.

"What we are hoping for is because it is such a rural location that these things do tend to be in people's memories especially at this time of year."

He said that might lead to somebody coming forward even though so much time had passed.