FRESH tributes have been paid by friends of York murder victim Mark Webb who have spoken of their sorrow at the death of “a true diamond”.

The father-of-five was stabbed in the throat during an attack at a house in Stuart Road, Acomb, on Friday, March 4.

The 40-year-old, of Cornlands Road, Acomb, managed to make his way to nearby Middleton Road and, after a member of the public made an emergency call for help, he was taken to York Hospital under police escort.

But Mr Webb died from his injuries later that day, and messages of grief are continuing to be posted by his friends on an online book of condolence set up in his memory.

One of them described him as “a true diamond”, while another read: “May you rest in peace, but knowing you, you probably won’t – you will have all the angels dancing and laughing with your antics”.

Another said: “What moves through us is a silence, a quiet sadness, a longing for one more day, one more word, one more touch, we may not understand why you left this earth so soon, or why you left before we were ready to say goodbye, but little by little, we begin to remember not just that you died, but that you lived. And that your life gave us memories too beautiful to forget”.

Mr Webb was described in another post as “a lovely man, brilliant sparring partner, a true diamond not afraid to say it how it is”.

Mr Webb’s sense of humour has also been remembered in the scores of messages, with one saying he was “a man good at heart, a joker at times”, adding: “I am blessed enough to know you as a friend and a good human being. RIP mate may you rest in peace.”

Another friend wrote: “I still can’t believe it, miss you heaps, you had that special gift of making people laugh and smile, your uplifting spirit and great sense of humour I shall greatly miss.”

Brian Cox, who has been charged with Mr Webb’s murder, appeared before a court on Wednesday and is due to face a trial later this year. He has been remanded in custody.

Four other people were also arrested in connection with the alleged murder. A 26-year-old woman was released without charge and three more, a 34-year-old man, a 30-year-old woman and a 49-year-old woman, were released on conditional bail.