POLICE have found a body believed to be that of murder victim David Guilfoyle buried in a shallow grave in Bolton-by-Bowland.

A police spokesman said: “We can confirm that officers searching an area of Admiral's Wood near Bolton-by-Bowland have found a body.

“The discovery was made this afternoon.

“The searches were carried out after new information was passed to police about the possible whereabouts of the body of David Guilfoyle.

“Mr Guilfoyle, 37, of Accrington, was murdered by Shane Fitzpatrick at his home in May 2005 but his body has never been found. Fitzpatrick, 42, of Hapton, was convicted of murder in July 2006 and jailed for life.

“Whilst it is too early at this stage to confirm whether the body is that of David Guilfoyle we have specialist officers supporting David's family and they are aware of this development and are being kept fully informed.

“We ask that their privacy is respected at this time.”