A 53-year-old man found dead in suspicious circumstances in a Great Yarmouth flat was an artist and died surrounded by half a dozen of his paintings.The body of Zimbabwean-born Kevin Francis Hetreed was discovered in his South Quay home at about 6.

A 53-year-old man found dead in suspicious circumstances in a Great Yarmouth flat was an artist and died surrounded by half a dozen of his paintings.

The body of Zimbabwean-born Kevin Francis Hetreed was discovered in his South Quay home at about 6.15pm on Friday.

Mr Hetreed had displayed some of his art work in a Yarmouth bar in 2002 and was working on a painting of a dog at the time of his unexplained death.

Half a dozen of his paintings were on display in his flat, including one of a seaside villa, at the time of the incident.

Following the discovery of Mr Hetreed's body a Yarmouth man was arrested on the suspicion of his murder.

Mr Hetreed had moved to England more than 20 years ago and in January 2002 he exhibited some of his work for the first time in the now closed Gallery Bar in St George's Road.

One of his distinctive paintings featured the spectacular Victoria Falls on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Mr Hetreed, who was unemployed and had no family in Yarmouth, had lived in his South Quay flat in the former Old Spectre pub on the junction of Friar's Lane for the last four years.

His landlord Bob Gotts said he had last seen Mr Hetreed the day before his body was found.

Mr Gotts said: “He was a wonderful brilliant artist and was a really nice person. He was always very polite and he was always very helpful.

“I only spoke to him the other day and it a shock to find out what has happened to him. It is a real shame.”

As well as his art collection Mr Hetreed also kept tropical fish.

Police are still treating the death as suspicious and a post-mortem carried out on Sunday proved inconclusive in finding a cause of death. Further tests are being carried out.

Following the discovery of Mr Hetreed's body police arrested a 53-year-old man on the suspicion of murder and after being questioned over the whole weekend he was released on police bail until May.

The Yarmouth Coroner's Office has been informed of Mr Hetreed's death but a date for a preliminary inquest hearing has not been set yet.