Family stunned by Durrington man's protest camp death

Landscape gardener David Platt, 21, of Summerdown Close, Durrington, died on April 8.

David's aunt, Sue Roberts, from Lancing, said: "He was a strong-minded young lad. He was so hard-working.

"He had an inner strength in him that got him through a lot of strife in his life."

He was "totally devoted" to his six-year-old sister, Amy, for whom he had bought an Easter egg for the day he died.

She said David's mother, Rachel, was still severely traumatised by her loss.

David's uncle, Tim Roberts, from Thorn Road, Worthing, said the family had difficulty believing early police reports that David had died of a drug overdose.

He said: "We're struggling to believe it was an overdose because he had no prior involvement with hard drugs."

Mr Roberts, who worked with David, said he was a cheerful character who loved his job.

He said: "He was a happy-go-lucky bloke. He had a cheeky personality to go with it. He enjoyed being outdoors."

Mr Roberts said some of David's family had visited the camp to thank protesters who had tried to help.

He said: "A guy called Edward did CPR (emergency first aid] and mouth to mouth. I just wanted to shake his hand."

The funeral will take place at 3pm on May 2 at Worthing Crematorium. Friends and flowers welcome.

Donations in David's memory should be made to the Camelia Botnar Children's Centre.