POLICE are trying to identify a mystery man found dead in the street on New Year's Day with a stab wound to his neck.
A 23-year-old woman found the man in Goldspink Lane, Sandyford, Newcastle, as she walked home at 8.50pm.
The man was pronounced dead at Newcastle General Hospital.
Detective Superintendent Steve Bolam, who is leading the inquiry, said: "We are treating this death as suspicious and it is important to establish exactly what has happened."
Officers want to hear from anyone who was in the Sandyford area between 8.15pm and 9pm.
The dead man is described as aged about 50, 5ft 10in, stocky, with fair or gingery receding hair and a moustache.
He was wearing a light denim shirt, blue jeans, a light blue waterproof jacket and brown boots.
Residents expressed disbelief as their normally quiet street became the focus of a major investigation.
Peter Lamb, 26, who lives in nearby Kelvin Grove, said: "I was shocked when I woke up this morning and heard the news. It's not the kind of area where this kind of thing happens."
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