Police have named the dead man discovered in the early hours of New Year's Day as Sydney Carl Pitt.

Mr. Pitt, 54, was discovered by a friend at his home on Market Lane, Pembroke just after midnight. Although an Emergency Medical Team was called, Mr. Pitt was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said yesterday they had still not yet ruled out foul play in the death. An autopsy is expected to be carried out today after a pathologist arrived on the Island last night.

Though Police would not disclose the nature of the injuries Mr. Pitt suffered, The Royal Gazette was told by a Fire Service spokesman, Dana Lovell, that blood was found at the Pembroke home where the dead man lived.

Yesterday area residents said they noticed nothing out of the ordinary on New Year's Eve.

"We were entertaining and so we didn't hear or see anything which might have pointed out anything was going on," said Pam Clark, who lives with her family near the entrance of Market Lane.

"It wasn't until about 12.15 when we saw all of the blue lights of the Police and fire trucks that we realised that something must have happened," added her husband, Vernon Clark , who also said that the family had not been alarmed by the Police presence in the area.

"Police cars were quite frequently going down to his house," said Mr. Clark, "Every now and then something would happen back there and the Police would come to ask if we had heard or seen anything. But we would have to say no. Where we are situated at this end of the road, we couldn't ever know if anything was happening down there and we weren't ever bothered by much."

The dilapidated house and stables where Mr. Pitt was found is located on an unpaved section of Market Lane where the road loops back to rejoin Serpentine Road. According to the Clarks it has been the scene of several Police raids in the past few years.

Mrs. Clark and her husband both said the Mr. Pitt was a reserved man who was quite friendly with his neighbours though he always remained relatively aloof.

"Sydney was a quiet man but he would always stop and talk with me. It was only politely, though. We never got into any in depth discussions," Mr. Clark said, mentioning that Mr. Pitt had worked for some time as a butcher at the BIU Co-op Supermarket.

"He would sit at the corner (of Serpentine Road) and we'd have a chit chat but if we talked for too long he would get up saying he had to be off.

"I asked him if he would sit for me to do his portrait," said Mr. Clark, who is an artist. "His face had the marks of his life story. His eyes were dead and his skin was ravaged. He always said 'yeah, one day I will come by', but I never got it done. He just was always on the move."