Man found dead in Regent's Canal named by police

A man whose tattooed body was found in a canal has been named, as murder squad detectives continue to probe his "suspicious" death.

The body of Sebastiano Magnanini, 46, originally from Italy, was found submerged near a tunnel on the Regent's Canal in north London shortly after 9am on September 24, Scotland Yard said.

Mr Magnanini,who lived in south London, had tattoos of a lizard or gecko tattoo on his right shoulder, a koi carp on his torso and some small tattoos on the fingers of one hand.

Further tests on his body are planned after a post-mortem examination last Friday was unable to determine his cause of death.

News reports in Italy said he was originally from Venice and had only been in London for a few months.

Newspaper La Republicca said he was jailed for 18 months in 1998 over the 1993 theft of a painting, The Education of the Virgin, by 18th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Tiepolo from a church in the Italian city. The painting was reportedly worth two billion lire at the time.

Detectives have appealed for information from anyone who saw Mr Magnanini in the days before his body was found near the Islington Tunnel, not far from King's Cross station.

They also want to speak to anyone who was in Muriel Street, close to the tunnel entrance.

Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Reeves, from the Metropolitan Police's homicide and major crime command, said: "This has been devastating for Sebastiano's family.

"On the afternoon of Tuesday September 22, Sebastiano travelled into central London on public transport. I would like to hear from anyone who may have seen him in the Euston area at around 4.50pm. We also believe that he was in the King's Cross and Caledonian Road area at around 6.50pm.

"If you think you may have seen Sebastiano at any point or you know what happened to him, please get in contact."