A man who tried to make an early hours confession' about the murder and rape of teenage model Sally Anne Bowman has come forward.

Police had been hunting a man who called at the home of a neighbour of the 18-year-old's mother, Linda Bowman, in March.

Tracy North, Mrs Bowman's neighbour, spoke about the moment when the informant hammered on her door on March 28, at 5am.

It is thought the man mistook the North's home for that of Mrs Bowman and shouted that he had information he "had to get off his chest".

Ms North, 36, said: "This man said his name was John. I asked what he wanted and he said, I've got a guilty conscience and I can't live with it anymore'.

"He was acting like he wanted to get something off his chest. But I got the impression he got cold feet at the last minute."

Tracy's partner called police but the man disappeared. He was eliminated from the inquiry after handing himself into police this week.

However, Mrs Bowman was furious with officers at Wallington police station after it emerged that a report taken by officers at the time was not passed to anyone from Sally Anne's murder investigation team.

It is now more than six months since Sally Anne was stabbed to death outside her home in Blenheim Crescent, South Croydon, and her family are becoming increasingly frustrated with the pace of the police investigation.

Despite a television appeal on Crimewatch, the opening of a temporary DNA screening centre in South Croydon and a new computer generated image of the suspect, police seem no closer to catching Sally Anne's killer, who also carried out a sex attack on a woman in Purley in 2001.

Linda Bowman felt frustrated that the man could have had information that could have helped the investigation so the lack of communication between officers could have cost detectives working on the murder investigation some leads.

"The first I heard about what had happened was last Monday when I spoke to Tracy.

"They hadn't even told me about the incident. Luckily the man has come forward and the information is about a man who has already been eliminated but it could have been a lot worse," she said.

A police spokesman confirmed the man had come forward: "The man has now been traced by police and that man has provided us with information on a possible suspect. We were already aware of the suspect and he had already been eliminated through DNA testing.

"Nevertheless, we are grateful for this man coming forward and police have updated the family who wish to thank the man for coming forward."