Leek man found dead

Family and friends of an ‘inspirational’ man found dead at a former football ground will gather to pay their final respects.

The funeral of Matthew Harris takes place in his home town of Leek tomorrow (May 3).

Police had launched a missing persons appeal after 36-year-old Matthew failed to return to his parents’ Leek home after  leaving  Benks pub, in Stockwell Street at 5.30pm on Sunday, March 31. The search was called off eight days later when his body was found at the old Ball Haye Green FC ground and workingman’s club in Leek.

A service to celebrate his life will be held at St Edward’s Church, in Leek, on Friday (May 3) from 12noon. A wake will follow at Benks.

Matthew, who grew up in Leek but had been living in Macclesfield, was described as an ‘inspiration’ after he turned his life around.

His cousin Amy Norbury told how Matthew had struggled with addiction as a young man but had been clean for 10 years.

He had gone on to get a degree at Glasgow University and secured a job as a research scientist near Macclesfield before completing a PHD in virology in 2017.

However, his loved-ones say he continued to battle depression and they believe he died from a deliberate heroin overdose.