An inquest has opened after the body of a retired lay minister was found at the bottom of a ravine in Drewsteignton.

Christopher David Stock was found by a member of the public with multiple lacerations and injuries on his body by a footpath near the road from Trennaway Cross to the rectory just after 2pm on June 23.

The 72-year-old lived in West Chinnock near Crewkerne in Somerset, where he was a lay minister at West Chinnock Church and the Ham Hill Benefice.

A E Stoodley & Son, a funeral service posted a tribute to Chris on Facebook. It read: “We are really saddened to announce the death of Chris Stock.

“Chris assisted us in caring for many families over the years and he will be greatly missed by us personally as well as the wider community.”

A funeral for Chris will be taking place in Somerset on July 17.

The hearing has been adjourned until a later date.