The mysterious death of a British man at Malaga airport took a bizarre turn today after it emerged he was found with a slice of ham on each buttock and his genitals in an open tuna can.

Steven Allford, 51, was discovered face-down and bound to a bench between the airport's train station and the terminal building.

He had a hand bound to one end of the bench and his leg to another with cable ties. His trousers and pants had been pulled down.

Police are waiting on the results of a post-mortem but suspect he may have been choked to death and possibly sexually assaulted.

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Shocked tourists filmed the moment Mr Allford's body was put onto a stretcher and taken away after police searched the area for clues to the suspected killing

Steven Allford, 51, was discovered bound to a bench in a landscaped area by an airport train stop with his trousers and pants pulled down

Murder squad detectives are probing the bizarre death of the British man at Malaga airport

A security guard made the grim discovery just before 9am yesterday.

Shocked tourists filmed the moment Mr Allford's body was put on a stretcher and taken away after police scoured the area for clues.

Officers are now examining CCTV to establish how the 51-year-old ended up in the bizarre position.

Police suspect he may have choked on his own vomit and were yesterday trying to work out what he was doing at the airport.

One source said: 'There were no obvious signs of violence on his body but the position he was found in suggested foul play.'

They added: 'It is not known if what happened was done after or before death.'

The source said police were trying to find out if the food items were put on the body by someone unrelated to the death as a 'sick joke'.

Investigators were also examining whether he may have been the victim of a sex assault.

They were today seeking to establish what he was doing at the airport and whether he had missed a flight home or was sleeping rough

Allford was identified by documents found among belongings in a trolley next to his body.

It is not known where in the UK the dead man was originally from and police are trying to establish whether he had missed a flight home or was sleeping rough.