Stephen Harrington murder inquiry: Tributes to 'devoted' family man

Tributes are being paid to a "devoted and fiercely loyal" family man who died following an assault.

Sussex Police said Stephen Harrington, who was from Hampshire, was found seriously injured on land along Marlpit Lane near Woodmancote, West Sussex, at 11:10 BST on 23 July.

He was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital but died on 25 July.

In a statement, Mr Harrington's family said he had been taken from them in a "cruel and brutal way".

They added: "His death has left us all devastated and heartbroken, with a hole in our lives that can never be filled.

"We are all going to have to learn to live with never seeing his smile, hearing his laugh, or just spending time with him again."

Detectives are appealing for any witnesses to come forward to help with their investigation, particularly if anyone saw suspicious behaviour near Marlpit Lane late on Friday 22 July to the morning of Saturday 23 July.

Three men have been charged with the 47-year-old's murder and are due to appear in court on Wednesday.

Joseph Butler, 22, and Tarin Hopkins, 20, both from Hambrook near Chichester, West Sussex, and Thomas Goldring, 20, of no fixed address, appeared at Crawley Magistrates Court on Monday.

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