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Image of Saddleworth Moor mystery man 'Neil Dovestone' released

A forensic artist's image of the man will now be circulated around the world

Sadie Levy Gale
Saturday 14 May 2016 15:53 BST
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Artist's impression of the unknown man found dead on Saddleworth moor.
Artist's impression of the unknown man found dead on Saddleworth moor. (Greater Manchester Police)

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An artist’s impression of the man who was found dead on top of Saddleworth Moor five months ago has been released.

It is the first forensic image of the man nicknamed “Neil Dovestone”, whose true identity is unknown.

While CCTV photographs have been circulated by Greater Manchester police, they said they did not “give a particularly representative impression” of Dovestone, according to the Guardian.

Now the forensic artist’s black and white image will be circulated around the world. Police want the drawing to be shown around Pakistan in particular, as they believe the man may have links to the country.

The man is believed to have travelled to Saddleworth Moor in Greater Manchester
The man is believed to have travelled to Saddleworth Moor in Greater Manchester (Wikimedia/Creative Commons)

The body of the mystery man was found on a remote hillside in the Peak District National Park in December last year.

He was dubbed Neil Dovestone after the reservoir on Saddleworth Moor near where his body was found.

CCTV footage shows him walking through Manchester Piccadilly station wearing a heavy jacket and blue cord trousers.

At 2pm that afternoon the man went to the Clarence pub in Greenfield, Saddleworth, and asked for directions to the top of a nearby rock outcrop, the 1,500ft Indian’s Head peak.

The landlord warned the man about dangerous weather conditions but he was spotted by witnesses walking up the hill at about 4.30pm.

His body was found the next morning by a passing cyclist. He had £130 cash in his pockets along with three train tickets, including a return ticket to London.

Post-mortem results showed he died from strychnine poisoning, a highly toxic alkaloid used in rat poison.

Police are now concentrating on Pakistan for the answer to the man’s identity. They are hoping that a metal plate fitted inside the man’s left leg between 2001-2005 in Pakistan might lead to a particular hospital or surgeon who can shed light on the mystery.

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