POLICE have named the man they are seeking in connection with the murder of a 50-year-old Worthing man.

The man's body was discovered inside the door of his home in Osmonde Close, Broadwater, at 12.15pm on Tuesday (August 9).

Now detectives have named his lodger Alan Knight, 51, as the man they want to speak to about the incident.

Detective Chief Inspector Tanya Jones, from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: "A post mortem is planned for later today  and we anticipate that this will show that the man's death was a result of stab wounds that he received. We have recovered a knife from the scene and this is now being forensically examined to see if it is the weapon used. It is like a kitchen knife, but I am unable to say at the moment if it came from the property or has been brought in.

"All indications are that this was not a stranger attack. We have not yet managed to contact the victim's next-of-kin to advise them of the sad news of his death and are therefore not in a position to formally confirm his identity at this time.

"We are urgently looking for Alan Knight, the victim's flat mate, who has not been seen since his body was discovered, but who we believe was captured on CCTV in Bath on Tuesday and Wednesday (August 9/10). We think that he is moving around and could be anywhere in the country so I would ask anyone who sees him, thinks they have seen him or know of his whereabouts over the last five or six days to contact us immediately.

"It is possible that he is moving around using train or coach services. We are also seeking the victim's car, a red Ford Fiesta-derived van, registration number HT02 HMA, which is missing. We believe that the suspect may have been in that vehicle in Brighton on Sunday, though not necessarily as the driver. We would welcome any sightings - it may be that the van has been parked up somewhere near to you.

"If Alan is reading this, I would appeal to him to make himself known to police, wherever he is, without further delay. I want to know what he can tell us about the incident and I can assure him that he will be treated fairly and respectfully."

Alan Knight is white, 5' 10", of stocky build with black hair and blue eyes. He has tribal design tattoos on both arms and a very distinctive barbed wire and roses (or poppies) tattoo around his neck. He has 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his fingers with a swallow between the index finger and thumb of each hand. He also has a number of piercings in the back of his neck.

He favours combat type clothing, especially beige builder's boots and sandy camouflage trousers. He was wearing a beige polo or black v-neck T-shirt and could be carrying a black Lonsdale holdall.

Please call 101 quoting Sussex reference Operation Waterhouse or email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk.

DCI Jones continued: "We do not believe that Alan is a danger to the public, but we want to ensure that he is apprehended quietly and safely, so if you see him, please do not approach him, but dial 999 immediately."

Crime scene investigators continue to work at the house in Osmonde Close where the body was found and it is anticipated that a cordon will remain in place until at least the weekend.