A BIRTH certificate, a letter to his partner and a pair of shoes helped to identify a man whose body was found by a couple walking in the grounds of Prestwich Hospital, an inquest was told.

Bury District Coroner Barrie Williams was opening the hearing into the death of 27-year-old unemployed labourer Iain Pollard, whose family live in Whitefield.

He had been reported missing a few days before his body was found. His father, Iain, of Fountain Street, Whitefield, helped to identify him after being shown a pair of orange training shoes. A birth certificate and the letter, which was not a suicide note, was found on his body. The coroner adjourned the hearing for medical inquiries.