Grieving mother Elizabeth Hayton has spoken of her desperate hope that her son would be found alive after he went missing with a friend after a family get together.

But the hopes and prayers of the 52-year-old were dashed when police broke the news that he was dead.

Phillip Jamie Beecham, 32, known as Jamie, who Mrs Hayton described as her “guardian angel” died in a boating incident off the Queenborough shoreline, alongside his pal Bernard Faulkner, 55.

Their bodies were recovered last Tuesday after a major search by emergency services which began when the pair were reported missing last Sunday.

Mrs Hayton and her husband Alan, 49, of Portland Avenue, Sittingbourne, are still raw from the suicide of son Jonnie, who hanged himself following a deep emotional upset five years ago.

Now the couple are trying to come to terms with the second family tragedy.

Mrs Hayton said that like her, Jamie, who had three children, had never come to terms with Jonnie’s death.

“My two beautiful boys have gone,” she said.

If she can grab any crumb of comfort from the tragedy, it is that her son Tony, 14, who had gone out onto the water with the two men, escaped with his life after jumping from the dinghy.

Mrs Hayton has re-lived the night that began in such high spirits with a festive family party at Jamie and Louise Hook’s home in Coronation Crescent, Queenborough.

“We had gone over on Sunday with the Christmas presents for Jamie, Louise and the grandchildren, and we were having a drink and a laugh.

“I bought Jamie a lovely baby blue and white striped jumper, a pair of black jeans and a tee shirt, and he gave me a kiss and thanked me,” she said.

Jamie had bought his mum a Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy she has called Tilly.

Mr Faulkner, of nearby Jubilee Crescent, who Jamie had only recently befriended, was also at the party with his wife Michelle.

Mrs Hayton left the house to return to Sittingbourne on the 9.35pm train. She alerted police about her fears for the safety of Jamie and Mr Faulkner.

Mrs Hayton said the pressure of worry became too much for her and she needed to be alone.

She was terrified when she discovered the following morning that Jamie had not returned.

She stayed in telephone contact with Miss Hook, and returned to Queenborough the next day as a major search began.

Mrs Hayton described how she thought she could hear her son calling for her.

“I needed to be by myself to think. I could hear Jamie calling to me 'mum, I need help’.”, she said.

For the full story see this week's Sheerness Times Guardian and Sittingbourne Messenger