A former Welsh Guardsman was beaten to death as he travelled Britain in an attempt to cope with the grief of losing his sick mother.

Richard Jones, 47, had spent the last 15 years of his life as a full-time carer for his mother, Naomi, in Treorchy, Wales.

He was devastated when she died last year, aged 80, and could not bear to stay at the home they had shared.

So Mr Jones decided to travel Britain by himself, drawing on his Army experience to sleep outdoors.

He was found lying in a pool of blood on the seafront at South Shields, South Tyneside, at 4am on New Year's Day.

He had suffered a systematic and prolonged beating, an act which was described by police as "incredibly callous".

Dozens of people have placed floral tributes at the spot where he died, next to the Marsden Rattler pub on the promenade.

Mr Jones's brother and sister, Roger and Valerie, spoke yesterday of their struggle to come to terms with their brother's death.

Roger Jones said: "We cannot imagine why anyone would want to do something like this to Richard. He was a true gentleman, who cared for his mother for the last 15 years of her life while she suffered ill health."