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Man found dead near Barking church was facing sex assault trial

Michael Worboyes' body was found in Barking shortly he was to stand trial for indecent assault Archant

A man who was found dead in Abbey Green had been due to go on trial for sexually assaulting a girl.

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This note was found at the spot where Michael Worboyes' body was discovered in Barking This note was found at the spot where Michael Worboyes' body was discovered in Barking

Michael Worboyes was found near Barking’s St Margaret’s Church on Tuesday last week, just six days before his trial was listed to begin.

Investigating officers found a note in his belongings expressing fears about going to prison and being known as a “pervert”.

The 50-year-old had been charged with two counts of indecent assault against a girl under the age of 14.

This afternoon Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how Mr Worboyes, of Eastbourne Road, East Ham, “took his own life” rather than face trial.

Though his cause of death has yet to be determined by a coroner, Jonathan Mole for the prosecution said it was “widely thought to have been a combination of drugs and alcohol” that killed him after he was found lying on a bench with no obvious signs of injury.

Serial killer Stephen Port, who was jailed for life last month after being found guilty of murdering four men, dumped three of his victims in and around the church’s graveyard.

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