Police plea for help after man found dead in flat

The death of man whose body was found in a city centre flat is being treated as suspicious, police said last night.

The body of the 31-year-old, named locally as Lee Duncan, was discovered in the flat in Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, at about 10:50am yesterday.

The four-storey Dunedin Canmore housing association property, near Tollcross, was cordoned off yesterday to allow police officers and forensic specialists to investigate the scene.

Detective Inspector Matt Richards said: "We are appealing to anyone who was in the area this morning, who saw or heard anything suspicious, to contact police immediately.

"At this time there are plans for extra patrols to be carried out in the area in order to provide reassurance to local residents, and officers are on hand to speak to members of the public if they have any concerns regarding the ongoing activity."

John Farquhar, 45, a close friend of Mr Duncan, said he was a "very easy-going man with no enemies." He added: "I came round to visit this morning and was shouting up at the window to see if he was in but police told me I would not be seeing him. When they told me why I was completely shocked."