Convicted sex offender found strangled in flat may have been murdered four days earlier, inquest hears
Police searching for motive say Noel Brown's past unlikely to be connected
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A convicted sex offender may have been murdered up to four days before he was found strangled in his flat alongside his daughter, an inquest has heard.
The bodies of Noel Brown, 69, and his daughter, Marie Brown, 41, were found at his flat in New Butt Lane, Deptford, south east London, at about 2.45am last Monday after police responded to a welfare concern.
Detectives believe Ms Brown may have disturbed the attackers as they attempted to dismember her father's body.
An inquest at Southwark Coroner's Court on Monday heard a post-mortem found the provisional cause of death for Mr Brown was "neck compression", while his daughter also suffered injuries "consistent with neck compression".
Detective Inspector Helen Rance said it was believed Mr Brown was killed between 30 November and 4 December, when the bodies were found.
She said Ms Brown, a creche worker, was believed to have died between 2 December and 4 December.
Senior coroner Dr Andrew Harris suspended the inquest while the murder investigation continued.
Ms Rance said: "There is currently nobody in custody."
Last week police said Mr Brown was convicted of a sex offence and jailed in 1999, but Scotland Yard's Detective Superintendent Paul Monk said it was not "screaming out" as a motive.
Mr Brown was released in 2004 and the officer said "nothing" had happened in Mr Brown's life in the 18 years since the conviction to suggest that was the reason for the murder.
A neighbour saw Mr Brown at his home at about 8pm on Thursday 30 November, and at around midday on Saturday 2 December, his daughter went to his flat out of concern for his welfare.
She was not seen alive again.
After forensic searches of the area and gathering hours of CCTV footage, police have appealed for the public's help and urged two men who visited Mr Brown's flat in the days before he was found dead to come forward.
Unemployed Mr Brown, who was born in Jamaica, was said to be a regular visitor to local betting shops, but police have said they have found no evidence he was killed because of a large betting win.
Officers found no signs of a break-in at the flat, indications of a struggle inside or that Mr Brown or Ms Brown had been restrained.
PA