THE son of a York man who died in mysterious circumstances has paid tribute at his funeral to a “loving and caring” father.

John Kelly, 47, was cremated yesterday at York Crematorium, almost two months after he died in a flat at Bell Farm.

His death sparked a police investigation which led to three arrests in connection to an earlier assault at the property.

North Yorkshire Police said yesterday that a 26-year-old local man who was arrested on suspicion of assault remained on police bail, but two other men, aged 25 and 27, had been released without any charges.

A spokesman said Mr Kelly’s death had been passed to the coroner to determine the circumstances surrounding it. “The cause of death is not believed to be connected to the earlier assault,” he said.

Mr Kelly’s son Jason, one of six children, told mourners at the funeral yesterday he would always remember his father for showing him the right way in life and also teaching him how to ride a bike, kick a ball and fish.

“My dad had two sides to him,” he said.

“One was that he was strict and the other was that he was a great dad who was a loving and caring person.

“I can remember as a kid he used to always let me stay up and watch films with him. My dad used to like playing cards, dominoes and pool on a weekend at my uncle’s house. Everyone used to laugh at him as he was a very bad loser, but we miss all that.

“The sad thing is that at the age of 47, he never got to see any of his six kids grow up and see them have kids and even get married.

“My dad should be proud as he had six beautiful kids and, in this life or the next, we will see him again.”

He said his father would be sadly missed and never be forgotten. “RIP dad, we all love you so much.”