The family of a man found hanged from a tree are distraught after an inquest failed to solve the mystery of his death.

Production worker Terence Birnie, 37, of Churchill Road, Bicester, was full of Christmas spirit before he was found dead in an alley off Buckingham Road in the town on December 27.

He had a belt around his neck and was hanging from the branch of a tree.

Oxfordshire coroner Nicholas Gardiner said suicide was likely, but without evidence, he had to record an open verdict.

Mr Birnie's family said he would never have killed himself. They were upset at how police investigated the death and have vowed to challenge the verdict.

After the hearing, Mr Birnie's mother, Mrs Jean Birnie, of St Anthony's Walk, Bicester, said: "This is a complete living nightmare. Terry was anti-suicide. He was no angel, but he was fun-loving. I saw him on Christmas Eve. He was bubbling over, raring to go.

"It's a complete mystery. It doesn't make sense.

"The coroner's verdict has made this even harder for me to deal with. There's something missing. We are not happy at all. I don't feel police investigated properly.

"They left it too late before starting tests on the body and now they say they cannot know the time of death. The coroner said it was not important, but to me it is very important.

"Three months after his death we are no further forward."