The family of a man found dead near Highbridge last week have this week issued a heartfelt tribute to him.
Paul Wells, 39, died on Thursday 25th June following an incident in the Edithmead Lane area, as reported here. A post-mortem revealed he died as a result of stab wounds.
In a statement released on Tuesday (June 30th), his family said: “Paul was a loving son, brother, uncle, nephew, godfather, cousin and friend.”
“Originally from Middlesbrough in the North East, Paul was very family orientated, big hearted and a hard worker.”
“He travelled and lived in places abroad, including Gibraltar for nine years and Sydney in Australia for three years. He eventually returned to England and settled down in what Paul would call his forever home – Somerset.”
“He was respected and loved by everyone who came into his life.”
“Paul had such an infectious personality whereby most everyone who met him saw this in him and became a life-long friend.”
“Paul was taken from us suddenly all too soon and will be sorely missed by everyone.”
The family have asked for privacy at this time.
A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday. He has been transferred to a secure facility and is in the care of mental health services.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Almond said: “We’re conscious that our presence at the scene over a number of days will have had an impact on the local community and we would like to thank everyone for their understanding. We’d like to reassure people that we don’t believe there to be any ongoing risk to the public at this time.”
“Due to prior police contact with those involved, a mandatory referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct this week. It would be inappropriate for us to go into further details while the referral is being considered.”
The Police’s investigation continues, and anyone with information about what happened is asked to call 101 and give the call-handler reference 5220139224.
