"Gone, far, far too soon" - Funeral service held for nightclub assault victim Jordan Bell

The 27-year-old from Southwick was found injured by a member of the public outside a night club in the Holmeside area shortly before 9pm on Friday, July 10.

The service at Sunderland Crematorium, streamed live due to Covid restrictions, opened with Jenn Bostic’s ‘Jealous of the Angels’, before civil celebrant Debbie told the congregation: “Our ceremony today is our opportunity to pay tribute to a fine man, a good man.”

Jordan had died ‘far, far too soon’’ she said, and ‘no words, no matter how gently spoken or sincerely meant can take away the pain and devastation’.

She said: "We mourn for a life that was and for a life that still might have been but today we also remember the happier times days and the times of of Jordan’s life.”

Jordan had been six-years-old when he and sister Sarah had come into their parents, Tracy and Andy, lives, said Debbie: “They were just so, so happy and absolutely besotted with their two kids, and the family were extremely close.

"Jordan and Sarah were especially close – he was very protective of her. The two of them were always together.”

Aged 16, Jordan had wanted his independence and gone to live at Centre Point in Sunderland: “Jordan was a very shy young man, who kept himself to himself, but as time went on he made some really good friends there and when he got to know them, he certainly came out of his shell,” said Debbie.

“If you had Jordan as a friend, you knew you had a loyal friend and a friend for life. He was such a lovely, lovely young man, who would do anything for anyone, he was so kind and thoughtful like that.”

Recently he had started work with Mitie, she said: “Very quickly, he established the conscientious, hard-working ethic which became one of his hallmarks and he became a highly respected colleague and friend. Nothing was a bother for him.

"He was a young man who worked hard, a young man whose script was still being written, and a young man who still had so much more to achieve.”

She told the congregation: “Jordan is at peace now and so we must try and take some consolation for that on his behalf.

"It is okay to mourn but today we can also celebrate him. We celebrate a young man who wove indelible marks into the very fabric of all your lives, a true gentleman whose endeavours and tireless devotion to you all ensures that.

“We celebrate a warm, kind, lovely man who is now missed so very much.

The congregation listened to Maroon 5’s Memories, before Debbie told them: “Cherish the moments you shared with Jordan. Remember his story, his courage, his kindness."

The service closed with the One Voice Children’s Choir’s cover of Linkin Park’s One More Light.

*Dominic Robson, 26, of Birchwood in South Hylton, has been charged with manslaughter.

He is due to appear before Newcastle Crown Court on Monday, August 24.

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.