Family pays tribute to ‘loving’ Sean

Apr 24 2008 by Kerry-Lynne Doyle, Glamorgan Gazette

SEAN’S family have paid tribute to their son “who touched the hearts of everyone he met”.

His mother Tracy and father Byron said: “Sean in essence was a character, very loving and well-loved, intelligent, outgoing and purposeful.

“Like most 19-year-old lads he was very social and had countless friends.

“He kept himself very fit and loved to run, especially after his nieces, whom he adored. His life was well balanced, spending much of his time with his girlfriend Charlotte and, of course, his brother and sister.

“He was always such a good boy, we never had a day of trouble with him and he doted on his family.

“He touched the hearts of everyone he met.”

Mr and Mrs Rees said they had chosen to release the tribute after being inundated with requests from reporters despite asking the media not to contact them.

The Gazette has respected their request and has not, and will not, approach Sean’s family.

“We have released this statement to pay tribute to our loving son and appeal to the media to respect our privacy,” she said.

“Despite requesting media do not contact us, we have had a number of reporters sending us letters and knocking on our door, which we have found incredibly distressing and has prevented us being allowed time to grieve in peace.

“We’re appealing to the media to respect our wishes and to allow us to be alone to deal with losing our son, who meant the world to us.

“We hope this statement will safeguard our privacy so that not only we as a family but our community as a whole can be allowed to grieve with the dignity we deserve.”