THE family of a man who died following an assault in Tilbury have described him as their 'hero'.

Craig North, 35, from Tilbury was found injured in Feenan Highway shortly before 9.45pm on Sunday, 2 January. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and in the days that followed there were many messages of support for him, including a video from world boxing champion Tyson Fury, but Mr North died some days later.

The investigation into the incident is now a homicide enquiry.

In a statement his family said: "Craig was our hero. He was a loving and devoted father, partner, son, brother, uncle, son in law and friend. He was loved by so many.

"He will always be in our hearts and never forgotten. You are our warrior."

A 19 year-old man, Darnel Curtin, of Chesterton Way, Tilbury, has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the assault.

He is next due to appear at Basildon Crown Court on 3 February.

Police are still seeking information about the incident and information can be submitted through a dedicated online portal here. Anyone passing on information is asked to quote incident 975 of 2 January.

You can also call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.