A homeless man found dead in Victoria Park has been named and pictured for the first time.

Alan Semadeni, 39, was found in a wooded area of the park near to Gore Road Gate shortly before 10am last Saturday (August 10).

Police have said it is believed that Alan was living in the park at the time of his death.

A post-mortem examination was unable to determine his cause of death. No arrests have been made at this stage of the police investigation.

Detective Superintendent Vicky Tunstall, a police boss in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, has now urged anyone who has had contact with Alan, even if it was only “briefly”, to come forward.

She explained: “We want to build a picture of who Alan was, and what may have happened to him. Any information would be highly appreciated."

DS Tunstall also acknowledged that the “unexpected” discovery will have caused local people “deep concern”.

She added: “The park is used by a lot of people within the community and also provides a venue for large events.

"I would like to reassure our communities that we are working hard to support the detectives leading this investigation to understand exactly what happened to Alan.

“Our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this difficult time.

"There will be an additional police presence in the area during this period and you will see our neighbourhood teams in the locality, should you have any concerns or information that may assist this investigation.”

Anyone who can provide further information is encouraged to call police on 101, at the incident room on 0208 345 3985, giving the reference 4451/08AUG.

To provide information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.