A young British embassy worker has been found murdered in the Lebanese capital Beirut after reportedly being strangled and reportedly sexually assaulted.

Rebecca Dykes, 30, from London, who had been working for the Department for International Development, was killed after leaving a bar with friends on Friday night.

She had been out in the lively Gemmayzeh neighbourhood of Beirut for the farewell party of a colleague at the British embassy and had left just before midnight with a friend.

The two then parted ways, leaving Miss Dykes to either walk or take a taxi to her home five minutes away.

She had not been drinking as she had an early flight to catch home early the next morning for the Christmas holidays.

She was abducted some time after and killed. Her body was found dumped on the Metn highway several miles away.

Police sources told the Telegraph the first autopsy revealed the cause of death as strangulation, however a second postmortem examination is to be carried out later.

They said they did not believe the attack to be politically motivated.

One friend told the Telegraph: "It's horrific. We had no idea what happened to her until we got a call today to go to the police station to give statements."