A widower was found dead on the floor of his flat on Christmas Day.

Police cordoned off the Little Oakley home of 56-year-old John Pope and forensic scientists were called in after his body was discovered at about 10.30pm.

Officers were initially treating the death as suspicious after the call to the property but were stood down after a post mortem examination carried out on Boxing Day showed Mr Pope died of natural causes.

Paul Walls, 45, a friend of Mr Pope who was staying in a nearby flat in Seaview Avenue, said he had last seen him on Christmas Eve.

He said: "His wife died about a year ago and he went downhill from there and suffered from depression. Friends used to come and see him at first but then there were less and less."

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