Tragic Jethro found knifed to death at his father's home

The little boy was on a trip to the fair with three other youngsters when the picture was taken by family friend Isabel Turner, 39.

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"Jethro was such a lovely, smiley little boy," she said yesterday.

"I simply can't understand why anyone would want to hurt him."

The youngster died after his throat was cut while he was visiting his father Dafydd Field, 52, at his £350,000 semi in the heart of Surrey's stockbroker belt.

Some time after the killing on Wednesday morning, Mr Field drove 250 miles to a remote part of Wales from where he phoned the police.

Officers scrambled a helicopter to trace Mr Field, who eventually surrendered at a police station in the town of Tywyn in Gwynedd, North-West Wales.

Family friends have revealed that Mr Field and Jethro's mother Stevie, a 46-year-old care assistant, had recently divorced.

Jethro moved away with his mother but regularly returned to visit his father at the former family home in the village of Farncombe, near Godalming.

According to friends, Mr Field - described as a "difficult man" - had experienced particular problems dealing with the break-up.

Neighbours claimed, however, that Mr Field, a former civil servant who became a house-husband and part-time student, was devoted to his son.

One said: "We used to call him Superdad because he was always ferrying the children around in his car.

"He seemed to have a lot of time to spare to look after the children."

Both Mr Field and his ex-wife had been married before. Mr Field has a 17-year-old daughter, Rhiannon, from his first marriage.

Mrs Field's two children from her first marriage, Marcus, 19, and Tamsin, 16, were comforting their mother yesterday.

A family source said: "Jethro was a lovely little boy and Marcus and Tamsin were both very close to him. Stevie is absolutely devastated."

In Farncombe, neighbours laid cards and floral tributes to Jethro outside his father's house.

One card, from the three children pictured with Jethro at the fairground, read: "Jethro, thank you for being our best friend. We will miss you and we will never forget you. All our love."

Surrey Police confirmed that a 52-year-old man was being questioned in connection with the incident.