Foreign office now know his real identity but have not confirmed it

Was found dead on September 13 with bullet hole in his neck

But lived a very modest lifestyle, and locals said he even used to beg

He moved to Plounevez-Lochrist in Brittany around the time Miller died

The hunt for the killer of a 65-year-old British man shot dead in his Brittany home has taken a bizarre twist - as it emerged that the victim had assumed the identity of a dead rock star.

The man was known in the small coastal village of Plounevez-Lochrist as Glenn Miller - the retired bassist for cult Canadian band Chilliwack.

But the real Miller died in Toronto three years ago, gendarmes discovered after contacting Canadian police.

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The real Glenn Miller (left) was a bassist for Canadian band Chilliwack, who were most popular in the 1970s

Miller was a member Chilliwack - who were most popular during the 1970s - for almost 30 years, before leaving in 1988 to start a career in drug rehabilitation.

He died in March 2011 after suffering from muscular dystrophy, and the murdered Brit who assumed the same name arrived in Plounevez-Lochrist, near the Channel port of Roscoff, at around the same time, residents say.

He adopted the look of a seventies rocker; he had a shaven head and wore a large leather beret, eccentric clothes, John Lennon glasses, Mexican boots and a belt with a massive shiny buckle.

Locals would ask him to play guitar, but he would always refuse, saying he suffered from severe arthritis in his fingers.

He was found lying in a pool of blood on Sunday morning. He had been killed instantly by a bullet which passed through his neck, leaving a gaping wound.

Forensic gendarmes were baffled to find no trace whatsoever of the bullet or signs of a projectile having struck furniture or the walls of the dining room of the house, where the victim lived alone close to an idyllic tourist beach.

The British man had been living in a farmhouse in Brittany for nearly four years before he was murdered

The false Glenn Miller lived in Plounevez-Lochrist, near the Channel port of Roscoff, where he was popular

He used to tell people in the local bar that he was Miller, and would describe to them a lifestyle in Toronto that matched that of the rocker.

His lifestyle in Brittany was certainly not in keeping with that of a wealthy retired rock guitarist living in the sun, however.

He appeared to lead a modest life, walking everywhere and occasionally working as a day labourer in fields collecting onions and cabbages. He was even forced to beg for money at Roscoff port, locals said.

'He was quiet and a pleasant man and well liked. He didn't drink heavily and would often just order a coffee and sit at an outside table and smoke a cigarette,' said a café owner.

A bartender added that it was believed he had inherited his farmhouse from his uncle: 'His sister who was from England introduced him to us four years ago and said he was her brother.

'We got to know him well. He was from England had played in a band as a guitarist in Canada.

'He had lived here in his house for four years. He inherited the house from his uncle when he died. Glenn's mother was a local French woman from the village and his father was English.

'Latterly he had had a problem with his hand due probably to arthritis. He said he couldn't play guitar any more because he couldn't move his fingers much. He didn't drink a lot and he didn't seem to have a girlfriend. He lived alone in the house.'

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said yesterday that they knew the true identity of the man, though could not confirm it yet.

Forensic officers have returned to the murder house and resumed searching for clues in the dining room where the victim died and other areas of the large house, which was described as being 'extremely untidy'.

Investigators have also studied bloody footprints left on the floor of the dining room which are believed to be those of the killer.

The man named initially as Glenn Miller by French Police was wearing slippers at the time of his death at 11pm last Saturday. The neighbour who discovered the body on Sunday morning did not leave any traces on the floor of the room as the victim's blood had already dried.