Stabbed Widnes landlord 'would be amazed by love and support'
Family photographA landlord who was fatally stabbed outside his pub would have been "amazed" by the "outpouring of love and support", his wife has said.
Christian Thornton died at the Hammer and Pincers in Widnes on 11 August.
Paying tribute to the 49-year-old, his wife Pam said running a pub was "not a job to you, it was a way of life".
She said in their final "precious" hours together, he had held her in his arms, "before going to work for what should have been a normal Sunday".
She added that she would do her best "to continue to make you proud of us all".
"We had great times and challenging times but you always said, we could get through anything as long as we were all together [and] you were right, we did.
"I know you would be amazed at the outpouring of love, support and generosity that there has been since you were taken from us so needlessly and cruelly."
In a statement, Mr Thornton's siblings - Michelle, Bernadette, Addrienne and Anton - said their family was "broken forever".
"He was kind, the most hardworking man we knew," they added.
"He always greeted us with a big kiss and a hug."
Lee Abbott, 35, of Rose Street, Widnes, has been charged with murder and is due to face trial in February.
