The grieving girlfriend of tragic Jonathan Danskin, whose body was found in the River Wharfe five weeks after he went missing, today paid tribute to the man she planned to marry.

And Lisa Dickson, who lived with the 28-year-old self-employed joiner at West Park, Guiseley, said Otley Parish Church would be packed by family and friends for Monday afternoon's funeral service.

Mr Danskin vanished during the early hours of January 31 after running into the Wharfe at Otley when police approached his car.

Police divers spent several days searching the river and members of the public joined officers searching the local countryside - believing he may have got out of the river - but no trace was found of Mr Danskin until last weekend when his body was discovered at Kearby, near the Harewood Estate.

A post mortem examination revealed Mr Danskin drowned and an inquest into his death was opened and adjourned in Harrogate on Thursday.

His funeral will be held at Otley Parish Church at noon on Monday, followed by a service at Rawdon Crematorium.

Miss Dickson, 26, who had been going out with Mr Danskin for a year, said: "We were in hope for the five weeks he was missing but are all just absolutely devastated about it now.

"There'll never be another Jono but he'll be forever in our hearts and will always be missed. It's just such a waste.

"We were planning to marry and had big plans. We were going to stay where we were, renting for a while, but planned to buy a house and then get married.''

Miss Dickson, who works as a nail technician in Saltaire, said she was moving back to her mother's in Shipley as she found it too painful to stay in Guiseley.

A collection will be taken at the funeral service for the Canine Defence League.

She said: "He was a really big animal lover and had a pet cat, Snoopy, who died on the Tuesday after he went missing. He'd had it for about 13 years since rescuing it from some lads who were kicking it around.''

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