A FATHER has led a moving family tribute to his son who was found dead at the rear of a town-centre shop in west Suffolk earlier this week.

Jamie Thompson’s body was recovered from behind the China Shop in Gainsborough Street, Sudbury, just after 4pm on Tuesday.

His father, David Thompson, a well-known Sudbury businessman, expressed his anguish at losing his second son in just over five years in a heartfelt tribute.

He said: “Jamie was a proud and gentle young man whose tragically short life was blighted by drugs. We hope that our beautiful boy has found peace now, a peace he so often failed to find in his life. When he was at his best, he lit up our lives like the sun peering out from behind the clouds on a rainy day. He loved to swim and to cook and to be with his friends.

“We tried, as a family, to lead him in the right direction but ultimately he was unable to escape from his addiction or find the professional help that he so desperately needed. The death of his elder brother, Dan, in a car crash five years ago and the subsequent death of his cousin Charlie who was killed by a train at Elsenham in Essex only a year later surely contributed to his sometimes bleak view of the world. We do not doubt that our beloved JJ struggled to cope with the rigours of life.

“I went with my brother, Pip, to identify Jamie yesterday afternoon. Having already gone through this terrible procedure with Dan, I was not sure that I could do it again but I am glad that I did. Jamie looked so noble, like a knight of the round table.

“Rest in peace JJ.”

Police were called to the scene on Tuesday after his body was spotted in a rear courtyard area close to the Thomas Gainsborough Museum.

Following a post-mortem examination on Thursday police concluded that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death although they are still treating it as unexplained.