THE body of a 23-year-old man may have lain undiscovered on a Torquay church roof for up to a month, police have revealed.

Inquiries into how John Hazelwood, 23, from Aveland Road, Babbacombe, met his fate are still ongoing, said acting Detective Inspector Jon Phillips from Torquay CID.

He revealed that Mr Hazelwood, known as 'Moley' to his friends, may have been in the habit of using a cut-through on private property 80ft above St John the Apostle Church on Montpelier Road, and may have fallen to his death onto the roof below.

Mr Hazelwood was reported missing just two days before the discovery of his body on Friday morning by a caretaker who climbed a ladder to look at suspected damage on the roof.

Mr Phillips said: "Initial police inquiries would indicate that the body had been in situ for some time. We are looking at a timeframe of between two and four weeks."

The last time Mr Hazelwood was seen was on Thursday June 24 when Cameroon played Netherlands and Denmark played Japan in the World Cup championships held in South Africa.

Mr Phillips said: "We are keen to speak to anyone who might have seen him on or after that date. That is the last time that we are aware that he was definitely alive."

Police are keeping an open mind as to the cause of Mr Hazelwood's death and have said they are 'not ruling anything out'.

Mr Phillips said: "However, at this stage it isn't thought to be suspicious. We need to be certain about his last movements. John enjoyed a drink and was known to drink to excess. The post-mortem examination was inconclusive."

Police want to hear from people who have been using a path which runs along the side of a private property on top of cliffs above the church roof.

"We need to establish why and how he was in this location at this time. He has fallen between 60 and 80 feet," said Mr Phillips.

Police have used a specially-trained team of officers to search the cliff edge and a forensic team has also scoured the scene.

"There is no indication at this time that there was anybody else with him," said Mr Phillips.

Anyone with information can call police on 08452 777444 quoting log 533 of 27/7/10.