A MAN acquitted in one of the North-East's most sensational murder trials took his secrets to the grave, it emerged yesterday.

An inquest heard yesterday that the body of 46-year-old Lawrence Wood was found slumped in the rear seat of his fume-filled Mercedes van, parked close to his home in Market Crescent Gardens, Wingate, County Durham, in August 2004.

The grim discovery was made just days before the 26th anniversary of the murder of fairground beauty Miriam Culine, whose body was found in a burnt-out car several min West Cornforth.

The gipsy, who was at the time of his death under police investigation for alleged sex offences 16 years earlier involving an underage girl, died of carbon monoxide poisoning, pathologist Dr Paul Barrett told the inquest at Chester-le-Street Magistrates' Court.

Mr Wood left a brief suicide note, but it is understood he made no direct reference either to the allegations he was facing at the time of his death or the events of 1978.

Nearly three decades on, the murder of Mrs Culine, known by the nickname of The Candy Floss Queen, remains among the region's most notorious crimes.

The 33-year-old is believed to have been drugged or knocked unconscious, bundled semi-naked into the back of her own car, which was driven to allotments and set on fire.

It was thought she was alive for 15 minutes as the vehicle blazed.

Horse dealer Wood was charged with her murder after it emerged that he had been having a torrid affair with the fairground heiress under the nose of her husband, showman Fred Culine - a man 40 years her senior.

It took the jury at Teesside Crown Court less than four hours to acquit Mr Wood of the murder - after the court heard that Mr Culine had taken out a life insurance policy on his wife months before she died.

Mr Culine died months after the trial ended.

Yesterday's inquest heard evidence from PC Neil Johnson, who had found the van with the hosepipe still attached to the exhaust and the windows blocked with clothing.

He told the inquest: "Mr Wood had been arrested for a serious criminal matter, but he had not been charged."

Recording a verdict that Mr Wood had taken his own life, County Durham's Deputy Coroner Brenda Davidson said: "Mr Wood was obviously under pressure because there were police inquiries going on at the time."

Yesterday, a spokesman for Durham Police repeated the statement made after Mr Wood's murder acquittal in 1979.

He said: "We are not looking for anyone else in connection with Mrs Culine's death."