Rugby star pays tribute to ex-team mate

10:12am Thursday 10th April 2008

England rugby star Paul Hodgson and his father have paid tribute to former team mate Matthew Demko.

Mr Demko, 25, a gardener from Epsom, was found in the garage of a home in Links Road, Ashtead, last Friday.

“He played wing and was a very good wing. At that time our side were the Surrey champions. He was part of a very successful side.”

Tony Hodgson

"It is devastating," said John Hodgson, who coached Mr Demko alongside his son, London Irish player Paul, when they were in Sutton and Epsom Rugby Club's under 15s.

"Paul and I were talking about him last night and how we hadn't heard from him since he went off to boarding school but we remember him as a nice kid from a nice family.

"He played wing and was a very good wing. At that time our side were the Surrey champions. He was part of a very successful side."

Mr Demko was a keen sportsman who won a sports scholarship to Pangbourne College. His family, who live in a road opposite the home where his body was found, were at home this week but were too upset to talk.

They released a statement in tribute to their deceased son.

"Matthew was a happy, caring, and warm person who always looked after everyone else," it said.

"He grew up in and around Ashtead and was a very keen rugby player. He won a sports scholarship to Pangbourne College and played for the Sutton and Epsom under-16s rugby team.

"Although he was a big bloke physically he was always very warm and lived life to the full," they added.

Mr Demko, who worked for Glendale Grounds Management and was the eldest of three siblings, was declared dead by ambulance crews half an hour after he was found.

A postmortem investigation found he died from blunt force injuries to the head.

Residents living just metres away from where his body was found have admitted to being "absolutely stunned" at events of the last few days.

"It's a great shock for this community," Len Wood said. "Normally the worst thing we have here is graffiti. And being so close to the murder of Sharon Birchwood makes it even worse."

A long-standing friend of Mr Demko's said he had been a popular man. "No one knows why this happened. He was a charming young man, he always had a smile for the ladies and a firm handshake for the lads. He was very sociable and knew everyone," she said.

Surrey Police are still appealing for anyone who was in the vicinity of Links Road on the afternoon of Friday, April 4.

Anyone with information should call 0845 125 2222.

• Michael Jordan, 24, a football coach from Ashtead, appeared at Redhill Magistrates' Court yesterday charged with murder. He is due to enter a plea at the Old Bailey in July.