Burngreave murder investigation Sheffield: Devastated family pay tribute to 'caring and loving father'

Richard Dentith, known to his friends as ‘Ricky’, was pronounced dead after emergency services were called to Grimesthorpe Road in Burngreave at 2.52am on April 7.

A post-mortem examination found the 31-year-old father died of a single stab wound.

Four men in total have so far been arrested for over his death. The most recent – a 22-year-old man – was detained on Sunday (April 10) and remains in police custody.

Now, Ricky’s parents have shared a tribute to their son who “died far too young”.

In a statement released by South Yorkshire Police, Ricky’s parents said: “Ricky had three main loves in his life; his gorgeous young son, Manchester United FC and cooking delicious food. He was a caring and loving father, skilled sportsman and a talented chef. Ricky had a cheeky sense of humour and always enjoyed banter with friends and family.

“He had a very kind heart, especially when it came to children and people needing help. However, Ricky suffered from mental health problems and, sadly, his life - which started out with such promise - became increasingly chaotic and anxiety-driven. He died far too young in a senseless attack and will be sorely missed.”

The 31-year-old’s friends have also shared their own tributes online, calling him a “funny” man who could make anyone laugh.

One wrote: “Rest in peace, Ricky! You were such a good lad the funniest most random guy going can’t believe this has happened I only saw you the other week!"

The arrest on Sunday comes after three other people have so far been taken into custody since the killing on April 7.

One man, aged 49, who was arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday has now been bailed as enquiries continue. Two further men aged 33 and 58, who were arrested on suspicion of murder on Friday have now been released without charge.

Since the fatal stabbing, uniformed officers have been conducting CCTV and door-to-door enquiries into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Etheridge, senior investigating officer, said: "We have a dedicated team of detectives working on this investigation and I continue to urge anyone who may have information about what happened to come forward and assist us.

“If you have CCTV or dash cam footage which would be helpful to the investigation team, please share it with us. If you are uncomfortable speaking to us directly, you can tell Crimestoppers what you know and you will remain completely anonymous."

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 112 of 7 April.

If you would rather send information directly in to the incident room, you can do so using this link: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/14SY22K03-PO1

Alternatively, you can stay completely anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers via their website Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling their UK Contact Centre on 0800 555 111.

Dash cam, CCTV or mobile phone footage can be emailed into [email protected], quoting the incident number in the subject line.