TEARS were shed for a young father when friends and relatives packed into a village church for his funeral yesterday.

Stab victim John Love-green, 34, died in "brutally tragic circumstances", the vicar of St Cuthbert's, in High Etherley, near Bishop Auckland, Father Michael Dent told the congregation.

Mr Lovegreen's body was found on Saturday, July 6 in a cottage he had rented for the past few months at Baal Hill, near Wolsingham, County Durham.

But his family decided he should start his final journey from the farm he had worked endless hours to build into a thriving business, Greenfields, a few hundred yards from the church.

His parents Dave and Irene and other close relatives arrived at the church, walking slowly behind their son's coffin to the church door.

Either side of them for the last few yards stood a guard of honour of friends and family, including detectives from the Durham police team which has been investigating Mr Lovegreen's death.

Inside the church, Mr Lovegreen's ten-year-old daughter Jayne listened to Fr Dent's moving tribute to her father.

He said: "John loved life. He was a person that was always laughing. He loved children and simply idolised his daughter Jayne.

"Jayne was the most precious person in his life. In fact, John's life was Jayne and his family and his work.

"John was a child at heart himself. He loved fun and entered into things fully. John loved gadgets and sophisticated games."

He told the congregation: "Despite everything, the best compliment that you can pay to John is to go forward and to live your lives as fully as he lived his."

After the service Mr Love-green's body was taken to the Upper Weardale village of Cowshill for a private family burial.

A High Etherley resident said: "We still can't believe this has happened. It is a terrible tragedy."

* Mr Lovegreen's 33-year-old wife, Jayne, had been charged with his murder and is due to stand trial in September.