Family pay tribute to murdered father

Families and friends of murdered dad Garry Watson have shared their grief as cops hunt down his killer.

Garry, 27, was discovered at his flat in Kennishead Avenue, Glasgow, at around 1.10pm on Thursday. It’s thought he was stabbed to death by his attacker.

Yesterday, his grieving family left tributes outside the high-rise block of flats where he lived and spoke of their devastation.

In a statement, his family said: “Garry was a loving father to Liam, a loving son of Gary and Angela, and a devoted brother to Jennifer, Natalie and Gemma.”

It added: “We are devastated by his death; he will be very much missed.”

The wall outside the flats in the Thornliebank area of the city was covered in Celtic and Rangers scarves, flags and tops along with flowers, candles, teddy bears and cards.

In one touching note, Garry’s mum Angela wrote of her love for him and said her heart was “broken”.

His sister Jennifer also left a moving tribute to her “handsome amazing big brother”.

She wrote: “You have taught me so much. You will never be forgotten. Ain’t no party like a Garry Watson party. I will love you forever.”

His grandparents also left a card for their “dearest grandson” while cousins Nichola and Emma left a tribute to their “beautiful little (+big) cousin”.

They wrote: “I will love and miss you forever. Devastated. Always with you.”

Garry’s friend and neighbour Marie Doris, 52, said she saw him just a few days ago and had been planning to pop up to his flat after she’d lent him her vacuum to do some cleaning.

She said: “He was a kind-hearted boy. We helped each other out. He doted over his son Liam. His son didn’t live with him but he saw him all the time. He was a good dad.”

Marie said Garry had been a close friend of her son and said she was shocked to hear of his death when her daughter called to let her know.

She said: “I know his family. I’ll be going to see how they are. Garry’s going to be really missed.”

Friends said Rangers fan Garry was a fitness fanatic who loved nothing better than going to his local gym. One of his pals even left a weight disc beside other tributes to mark the 27-year-old’s hobby.

Pal Lauren Jones, said Garry was a “cheery guy” who always smiled when you passed him in the street.

She said: “He was a nice guy. He would hold the door open for you if you were coming in. He was keen to help others. It’s another young life taken far too soon. It’s such a shame.”

Police said Mr Watson died at some point between Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon. Officers are treating the death as murder and are understood to be following a positive line of inquiry.

Detective Inspector Davie Moran urged witnesses who saw anyone acting suspiciously to come forward and said it was possible the killer may have confided in someone.

He said: “If you know who is responsible or if someone you know is acting suspiciously and you suspect they may be responsible, then please get in touch as it is only a matter of time before they are caught.”