Tribute to 'loving dad' Lee Santos who died in suspected stabbing in Cullercoats

The family of a man who died in a suspected stabbing in North Tyneside have paid tribute to him.

Lee Santos, from Killingworth, died following an incident in Cullercoats on Friday 23 December.

Police were called to a property in John Street shortly before 4:30pm.

The 45-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene having sustained suspected stab wounds.

In a statement, Mr Santos' family said: “Lee was a loving brother, dad and grandad who still had so many things to look forward to in his life. We are still processing the fact that he is no longer with us.

“As a family, we would like to thank everyone for their support.

“We now respectfully ask that we are given the time and privacy to grieve, as we try to come to terms with what’s happened.”

A man, aged 43, has been charged with murder and appeared at court on December 26.

Andrew Peacock, of John Street, Cullercoats, has been remanded into custody awaiting his next court appearance.

A provisional trial date has been set for Monday 26 June.

Detective Inspector Tam Fowler from Northumbria Police said: “Our thoughts continue to be with Lee’s family at this devastating time and our specially-trained officers will continue to support them.

“We would ask anybody who has any information who hasn’t already come forward to contact police.

“We would also ask that people avoid any speculation in the community that could jeopardise the ongoing investigation.”

Anyone with information that might help police with their investigation can use the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of their website or call 101, quoting log NP-20221223-0738.

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