A science-fiction author whose body was found at the side of a cliff had been housebound for more than a decade due to a debilitating condition who turned to writing during "his darkest hours".

Robert Storey was found near Folkestone Warren on Friday, having been reported missing the previous morning.

The man behind the Ancient Origins series of books had previously gone missing on Boxing Day last year.

The 42-year-old has previously described how he "dreamed about becoming a fiction writer" as a young boy.

However, his journey into writing was an escape after he was left with a debilitating, which he said was brought on by a car accident some years earlier.

His Amazon author biography reads: "Rendered housebound on and off for well over a decade in his darkest hours he turned to writing as a means of escape."

It continues he never thought anyone would read his work "let alone like it", and he had planned on writing more of his fantasy series and a number of thrillers.

"Rendered housebound on and off for well over a decade in his darkest hours he turned to writing as a means of escape..." -

His biography added: "His condition still keeps him indoors more than he would like, but it doesn’t stop him from writing, and more importantly it doesn’t stop him from dreaming."

Mr Storey studied at the University of London where he received an BSc in Mathematics & Statistics with honours in 1998.

He listed his interests as science, archaeology and "the mysterious', as well as a passion for films, specifically action and adventure, science fiction and blockbuster thrillers.

His biography added: "But as he got older he realised new releases rarely matched the classics he’d already had the privilege of watching, and it was partly this frustration that led him to create a world of his own."