The grieving family of Seb Mitchell, the 17-year-old boy who died following an incident in Claro Road, Harrogate, have today issued a photograph and the following tribute to Seb via North Yorkshire Police.

“Seb was our beautiful, funny, talented boy.

“There are no words to describe how we feel now that he has been so cruelly taken from us.

“We will carry him in our hearts forever.”

placeholder image — “We will carry him in our hearts forever” - Harrogate teenager Seb Mitchell died in hospital on February 21 following the incident. (Picture via North Yorkshire Police)

Seb died in hospital on 21 February following the incident on 19 February.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the incident and is due to appear in court again in the near future.

Request to social media users by North Yorkshire Police:

We are aware of social media posts naming the boy who has been charged and also speculating on the circumstances of Seb’s death.

It is really important that nobody does this.

This is because once someone has been charged with an offence, it is illegal to publish anything that could influence a jury and affect a person’s right to a fair trial. This includes claiming to know what happened or speculating about the circumstances of his death.

Publishing includes uploading posts and comments to social media.

Also, suspects who are under the age of 18 have anonymity in law. Therefore it is illegal to name them on social media as the suspect in a case.

We would, therefore, strongly urge anyone who has posted comments or photos naming the suspect in the case or speculated about the circumstances, to remove them urgently.