POLICE believe they may have identified a murdered vagrant.

Speaking at the scene of the crime yesterday, the police officer in charge of the investigation vowed to catch the killers.

Detective superintendent Ian Sharp said it was thought the victim was 47-year-old Richard Jones.

He said the people of South Shields, South Tyneside, where the body was found by a passing reveller on New Year's Day morning, had been sickened by the attack.

Det Supt Sharp said: "We will definitely solve this, hopefully sooner rather than later, but we need the help of the public."

Several lines of inquiry were being followed by a 40-strong police team to discover if the man was Mr Jones.

The victim aged about 45 and had light ginger hair and bushy grey eyebrows. He had a sleeping bag and wore a Newcastle United scarf.

Anyone with information is asked to call a confidential police hotline, on 0191-563 5087.