Police have confirmed the name of the man they now believe was responsible for the rape and murder of Teresa De Simone in Southampton 30 years ago.

He was David Andrew Lace (pictured below, when he was 14-15 years old) who was born and grew up in Portsmouth.

He was 17 at the time of Teresa's murder, but he took his own life in 1988, nine years after she was killed.

His body was exhumed from a graveyard in Portsmouth last month, and DNA samples were taken which have now been analysed and found to be a complete match for DNA which was originally found by forensic teams at the scene of Teresa's killing.

Det Chief Insp Philip McTavish, leading the re-investigation into the murder, said:

“Following the exhumation of the suspect on Wednesday, August 12, the Forensic Science Service has now completed DNA testing and comparisons against DNA found at the original crime scene.
 
“It has been confirmed that the DNA from the suspect is a complete match and belongs to David Andrew Lace, born September 2, 1962, formerly of Brixham in Devon.”

The investigation into Teresa's murder was reopened earlier this year after the man who was wrongly jailed for 27 years for killing her was cleared.

Modern forensic techniques showed that Sean Hodgson was not the murderer.

Police then went back through past case files and took DNA samples from people involved in the original inquiry to find a match to the DNA found at the crime scene.

David Lace didn't feature in the original police investigation, but he did come forward and admit to killing Teresa.

Lace made the admissions in 1983 following Robert Hodgson’s conviction at Winchester Crown Court some 18 months earlier. This was also after Mr Hodgson’s first unsuccessful appeal against conviction.

Alastair Nisbet, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Hampshire & Isle of Wight, said:

“The CPS has advised Hampshire Constabulary that the evidence would have been sufficient to prosecute David Lace, if he were alive, with the offences of the rape and murder of Teresa De Simone.
 
“But this is in no sense a declaration that he was guilty of the offences.  Had Mr Lace lived, our decision would merely have authorised the police to begin the legal process by charging him.
 
“Only after trial does a jury decide whether a person is guilty or not, on a higher standard of proof – beyond reasonable doubt. 
 
“We agreed to look at the evidence on a deceased suspect because of the very exceptional circumstances of this case.”