POLICE have traced a man who may have been one of the last people to see murdered drugs tycoon Peter Beaumont-Gowling alive.

The man had lunch with the 52-year-old playboy about ten hours before his body was found at his flat in Osborne Road, Jesmond, Newcastle.

The man has been eliminated from police inquiries, and detectives are now examining other leads in the hunt to find the killer of Mr Beaumont-Gowling, who used to own Perry's Nightclub, now Club 2K, in Darlington. Northumbria Police have issued a fresh appeal for information, after receiving just 50 calls to the incident room.

They would like anyone who knew the victim to come forward,

Detective Superintendent Derek Storey, who is leading the murder inquiry, said the mystery man, who had lunched with Mr Beaumont-Gowling at Scalini's restaurant, in Jesmond, had contacted police.

He was a business associate of Mr Beaumont-Gowling.

The pair had met at 12.30pm last Wednesday. They left Scalini's about an hour later.

Mr Storey said: "We still need more information, and we are disappointed with the response so far.

"Any information about this killing will be treated in the strictest of confidence."

Police revealed that Mr Beaumont-Gowling's mother and sister in Manchester had been traced and told the news.

Mr Beaumont-Gowling's body was found by his girlfriend early last Thursday.

He had been shot several times in the back. Nothing was disturbed or taken from his flat.

The self-styled playboy had been released from prison only a few weeks before he was murdered.

He had been in prison for nearly six years of an 11-year sentence for laundering millions of pounds of drugs money.

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room, on 0191-214 6555 extension 62501 or 62512.