A DEVOTED father who was beaten to death as he made his way home from a night out was last night named as Robin Chard.

It is believed Mr Chard, 47, was the victim of a mugging as he took a shortcut to his home in Felling, Gateshead. He was found in a field near his home at 8am on Saturday.

The mild-mannered father of two is thought to have been confronted by a number of attackers as he walked through an underpass.

Detectives hunting his killers believe Mr Chard put up a fight but are not revealing the extent of his injuries.

Detective Superintendent Ian Sharp said: "We need to hear from anyone who can tell us what happened to Mr Chard.

"The area is overlooked by the Maiden Over pub and someone may have seen the confrontation or heard someone talking about what happened."

Mr Chard's wife, Angie, a singer, and his son and daughter, both in their 20s, were being comforted by relatives and declined to speak about the tragedy.

* Two youths were arrested in connection with the murder investigation. The pair, aged 17 and 15, were later released on police bail.