“The loss of Jason has left such a huge void in all our lives that cannot ever be replaced.”

The family of a man who died following an incident on Flowergate, Whitby, earlier this month have issued a tribute to him as we are now able to formally name him and our investigation continues.

He was Jason Smith, aged 49, originally from Hull but living in Halifax at the time. He sadly died from injuries sustained during the incident, which occurred at The Elsinore Pub in the town at 11.12pm on Sunday 15 March.

In a tribute, his family said: “On the evening of Sunday 15th March, a dearly loved son, brother, fiancé, uncle, cousin and friend was taken away from us all in devastating circumstances.

“The loss of Jason has left such a huge void in all our lives that cannot ever be replaced.

“He will continue to live on in our hearts and memories as the kind, loving, generous, hardworking and larger than life character that he was.

“Jason will be greatly missed by so many every day and for the rest of our lives. We are all forever heartbroken.”

Jason’s family have asked that their privacy be respected during this difficult time, and that they be allowed the space to grieve in peace.

As shared in previous updates, four men were arrested in connection with the investigation and have since been released on conditional bail.

Our Major Investigation Team (MIT) is continuing to investigate the incident, which is being treated as manslaughter.

Detectives are now appealing directly to anyone who was in the pub at the time and has not yet spoken to police to come forward.

Any information you have may help us further piece together the events of that evening.

If you have any information that could assist the investigation, please click on the link below.