The teenage nephew of Gary Lineker tragically lost his life after being crushed by a falling tree trunk, an inquest has heard. The 18 year old suffered a fatal crush injury to his abdomen while working on September 6, according to senior coroner Darren Slater during the inquest opening last week.
The incident occurred in Eaton Hastings, Oxon, Oxford Coroner’s Court was told. George Lineker, 31, cousin of the deceased, paid tribute to him on social media, describing him as “one of the nicest boys you’ll ever meet”. He shared a childhood photo of himself with his cousin, captioning it: “One of the nicest boys you’ll meet, taken far too soon. Fly high cousin, you’ll be missed by all.”
Tobias Lineker, 28, also posted a heartfelt tribute to his younger cousin, sharing an old picture of him smiling and writing: “Taken from us far too soon, rest in peace little cousin.”
A GoFundMe page was set up in memory of Jonty, aiming to help the family ‘create a beautiful memorial or event to celebrate the life of their much-loved son Jonty’, reports the Mirror.
The fundraising page described him as a “very special” and “beautiful young man”, adding: “I realise money can’t fill the great chasm of loss they are feeling, but I hope it can be used to ease the burden of funeral expenses or go towards a fitting memorial for Jonty.”
So far, the fundraiser has collected £32,000. Jonty was the nephew of Match of the Day star Gary Lineker, 63, from his first marriage to Michelle Cockayne, with whom he has four children.
Jonty’s mother Ali is Michelle’s sister. A date for the full inquest has yet to be confirmed.