Family's tribute to 'affectionate and caring' Doncaster teen as money pours in for funeral

18-year-old Joe Sarpong suffered fatal stab wounds in the incident in Catherine Street on Monday and a murder probe has been launched by detectives with a 38-year-old man arrested over his death.

Now his family has launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for his funeral, with more than £1,500 already raised in a matter of hours.

In a post on the page, family member Brigit Sarpong described Joe, who lived in Wheatley as ‘an affectionate and caring soul’ who ‘devoted his life to God’ and who made a ‘significant impact on everyone’ he knew.

She wrote: “Joe Sarpong was an affectionate and caring soul and would do anything for the people he loved.

"He was well respected and well liked across his town.

"Unfortunately on the 31 October, Joe was forcefully taken from this world by some wicked individuals who had evil in mind.

"Joe turned his life around and dedicated his life to God and to being a good and honourable person.

"He was such a bright person who loved to live his life to the fullest. He made such a significant impact on everyone and we will continue to make him proud.

"We are all devastated by Joe’s death but we want to give him the memorial he deserves to honour his memory and say our last goodbyes.

“We are currently asking for donations to help cover the cost of Joe’s funeral. We need to raise £5,000 in order to afford his funeral costs to give him a worthy send off.”

Joe, whose full name is Joevester Takyi-Sarpong, was found by a passer-by close to the disused Doncaster County Court building and Sri Guru Kalgidhar Gurdwara Sikh temple on Monday morning.

Police immediately cordoned off a huge area while forensics teams carried out investigations.

Det Ch Insp Emma Knight, who is leading the investigation, said: "This was a horrific incident in which a young man has tragically lost his life.

"I would like to urge anyone who may know something to contact us."

You can donate to the funeral fund HERE