THE man found dead in an Ipswich house is believed to be David Baxter, known to his friends as Ginger Dave, the Evening Star can reveal today.Police were called to an address in Macaulay Road at 12.

THE man found dead in an Ipswich house is believed to be David Baxter, known to his friends as Ginger Dave, the Evening Star can reveal today.

Police were called to an address in Macaulay Road at 12.40pm yesterday after the body was discovered by a woman who later raised the alarm.

The force said today that they are no longer treating the death as suspicious.

Neighbours said Mr Baxter, believed to be in his 30s, lived alone at the house.

Michelle Roach, of Kipling Road, said her boyfriend's mother raised the alarm after noticing the front door of the house was open.

Ms Roach said both she and her boyfriend were friends of Mr Baxter but they had not seen him since Monday when he came round to their house.

It was understood that he was suffering from a deep bout of depression.

She said: "He was a lovely chap but when we saw him on Monday he was deeply depressed.

"He was very unshaven and looked dirty and I just wanted to offer to run him a bath."

She continued: "He was not eating, and was drinking a lot, which I put down to the pills he was taking for his depression. He'd reached the stage where he didn't know what day of the week it was."

In February, 1999, the Evening Star reported how Mr Baxter, then 31, had a prison sentence for dangerous driving halved to six months by the Criminal Appeal Court in London.

Baxter drove a car in August 1998 with his nine year-old-son in the back.

The court heard that Baxter knocked the wing mirror, clipped a corner and drove the wrong way along a dual carriageway, later driving at about 60mph in 30mph limit.

He was also given a two-year driving ban for driving, having consumed more than twice the legal alcohol limit.

Residents living nearby spoke of their shock on hearing of Mr Baxter's death.

Jacqueline Love said: "I was stunned when I saw the police tape."

Her daughter Amanda, 15, said she saw two women walk in to the house at 12.40pm as she returned home from school with a friend.

She said they were an older lady and a teenage girl who both had dyed red hair.

Amanda added: "They went in the front door before the police arrived. They looked stressed and were walking quickly."

Mrs Love added: "I used to see two boys going in there on bikes, but I wouldn't have let my children go in there. He used to smash the windows of his house, to get in when he locked himself out."

Neighbour Simon Ray, said his children used to play with Mr Baxter's two children.

He said: "I wondered what was going off when I saw the police tape. I was surprised to hear a body had been found. Dave had seemed like a nice chap."

Another neighbour said he saw a man in a blue anorak coming out of the house at 1.45pm on Monday, as he was going to the shops.

He said: "He was swearing like hell. He was ranting and raving about the people who live round here. He was a crazy bloke."

He didn't know if the man was the one who lived there. The man later rode off on a bicycle.

He was not shocked by the discovery of the body, and said: "It seems like an everyday occurrence these days."

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "He's been on a downward spiral for the last six to 12 months. When I asked him about it, he said it was 'personal reasons'."

Shop staff at nearby Alldays said customers were beginning to talk about the presence of the police, but nobody had any idea what had happened.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Ipswich CID on 01473 613500.