The mystery of a black rose left on a murder victim’s grave has been solved.

The rose was left by the dead teenager’s sister, unaware of the upset it would caused. Any hope of it leading to the killer of his 19-year-old son have now been dashed.

Earlier this month the father of Ashley Dighton, whose headless body was found behind Sainsburys in Ashford almost two years ago , discovered a black rose had been left on his son’s grave. He wondered if it was a message from the killer or even a sign of vengeance.

At the weekend Mr Dighton, of Kennington, spoke to his 30-year-old daughter, Anna, to discover she left the rose. Anna lives in Hastings so had been unaware of the black rose mystery.

Mr Dighton said: “She came to visit her brother’s grave not knowing the meaning of the rose. It was just a harmless thought putting it on there.”