An urban explorer has told of the tragic moment he found a man dead in the derelict former home of the late wrestling star Jackie Pallo.

Paul Jones, a photographer from Canterbury, had been exploring the property on Haine Road in Manston yesterday when he made the heartbreaking discovery.

The 43-year-old says he had gone inside the crumbling building to take pictures and realised almost immediately that something wasn't right.

"I was looking around, taking pictures - there's a grand piano in there, and things like that really interest me," he said.

"I love finding old stuff that people have left behind, knowing that there's some kind of story behind it.

"When I was walking around I saw a door which was shut with some rope across it and when I tried to push it open I could see there was a mattress up against it on the other side.

"I just knew there was a body in there, I was almost expecting it.

"I managed to push the door open as far as I could and I saw the poor old chap.

"I've been doing this a long time and have never experienced anything like this.

"I don't know whether he put the mattress up against the door to stop people coming in and then sadly never woke up."

Mr Jones says he thinks the man must have been there for at least a couple of weeks as his friend had been at the property beforehand and not noticed anything untoward.

"At the end of the day, this is just very sad," he said.

"This is someone's son, he may have family, he's a human being and to die this way is really upsetting.

"I don't know what has happened but I'm a big believer that homeless people or those with mental health issues get the right help."

A police spokesman said they were called to the property at 11.40am.

The spokesman added: "The death of the man is not being treated as suspicious at this time and a report will be prepared for the coroner."

The Pallo house, where wrestler Jackie 'Mr TV' Pallo lived with his son Jackie Junior and wife Trixie before he died, has been empty for years and a fire destroyed much of the property in 2018.

The sports star was a pioneering entertainer who brought glam into grappling with his unruly curly hair scraped back into a pony tail, striped trunks and flashy gold boots from the early 1960s.

He dominated television’s wrestling coverage on Saturday afternoons for years, and delighted legions of fans around the UK and beyond.

He died aged 80 in 2006.

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