Heartbreaking tributes paid to ‘fun-loving’ family man killed in Walker incident

Tributes have been paid to a "fun-loving" father-of-two who was killed on Saturday afternoon.

Paul Wilkinson tragically died last weekend after sustaining injuries from a bladed item.

Northumbria Police and emergency services were called to the scene at around 2:20 pm on Saturday, December 4 and attempted to save the 47-year-old's life.

Despite attempts, he sadly died of his injury.

A murder investigation was launched following the incident and Dean Johnson, of no fixed abode, has now been charged.

Mr Wilkinson has been called a "fun-loving joker who would go out of his way to help anyone".

He leaves behind his mother Lynn, partner Lisa and their daughters Jade and Riannon, as well as his three grandsons and his three siblings Sarah, Alan and Denny.

A tribute written by the family read: “We are devastated at the loss of Paul who was a fun-loving character and the joker of our family.

“He loved his family, walking his dog and would go out of his way to help anyone.

“This is an extremely difficult time for us, so please respect our privacy while we grieve for Paul.”

Johnson, who is 52 years old, will appear at Newcastle Crown Court today, Wednesday, December 8.

Enquiries into the incident remain ongoing and anyone who thinks they might have information that can assist the investigation is asked to contact police immediately via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of their website.