CHRIS DEAN yesterday fought back the tears to tell of the son whom his family had loved and lost. In pouring rain on the steps of the Royal Court, he read a statement on behalf of his family following Craig Rouget’s conviction for the murder of James Dean.
He said the night of 9 September would be one his family would never forget. The full statement reads:
‘Devastation is only a small part of the emotions we felt when we found out our beloved son, brother, grandson, uncle, nephew and cousin, James, had died under such tragic circumstances.
James was a fun-loving man. He loved his family foremost, his friends meant the world to him and he loved football, especially his beloved Tottenham.
James made an instant impression with everyone who met him as a funny, kind, cheeky lad and a person who would always listen to anyone who had problems or was
feeling down.
In his short life James had had his fair share of heartache, with his mum developing breast cancer and then one of his closest friends dying tragically. James found dealing with this particular tragedy very difficult and was just starting to get his life back together when his own was taken from him.
James had lost weight, started jogging and joined The Bowl football team. One thing we know but will never see is that James would have made a wonderful father. The way he behaved with and loved his niece and nephews, you could tell that they were his pride and joy and he loved children in general. He would nurse them when they were young and would always find time to play with them and take them out.
James was a hard worker and from the time he left school, he worked and bought a scooter with the money he earned. James got into a few scrapes at times, but nothing serious, and he would never have carried a weapon - he was just a normal lad who liked to go out with his mates, watch football and have a few beers.
James had everything to look forward to. He intended to go travelling and was saving towards this and everyone who met him seemed to instantly like him. He had a lovely smile and eyes that seemed to twinkle and girls loved him and would swarm around him as he joked, ﾓone at a time please, girlsﾔ.
I think it’s fair to say that James was very well liked and if you remember the many hundreds of people who attended his funeral and the many flower tributes that were left in the High Street and sent to the family, it really speaks volumes. Of the many hundreds of cards that have been sent, many from people we don’t even know, one in particular was from a woman taxi driver who wrote, ﾓJames Dean, fun loving, life loving, polite, sociable. I had the pleasure of driving James several times. We laughed together and that is how I remember himﾔ.
We know that our lives will never be the same again. We will never celebrate a birthday, Christmas or any other anniversary with James or hold him or tell him how much we love him. We hope and pray that no other family will have to go through what this family and friends of the family and of James have had to, although this will not be the case until something is done about the knife culture that seems more and more a part of our society.’
Article posted on 28th July, 2007 - 12.00am
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