THE father of a talented tattoo artist killed in a road collision has paid tribute to the son he described as a "big softie at heart".

Che Baldwin died after his Suzuki motorbike was in collision with a Honda Civic in Petersham Road, Long Eaton, on Sunday.

The 30-year-old, a former pupil of Friesland School, had worked in tattoo parlours in Sandiacre and Derby for the last 10 years.

Since his death, floral tributes have been left at the scene of the crash and nearly 800 people have joined a Facebook group set up in Che's memory, leaving about 220 messages.

Dennis Baldwin, Che's father, said he and his wife, Susan, were devastated after losing their only child.

Mr Baldwin said: "There's not much more that I can say other than that he was a great guy and a brilliant son.

"He would have done anything for us – he was a big softie at heart and he just loved the company of others. He thrived on spending time with his friends.

"He died doing what he always loved doing – riding bikes. If he could have been buried with his bike, he would have been.

"I've just got to think about the good times and the fact that he enjoyed life so much."

Mr Baldwin said Che had been passionate about artwork and had wanted to become a tattooist since he was a teenager.

He said: "I've got a tattoo on my left arm which I let Che do – it was one of his first pieces but I wouldn't let him finish it because it hurt too much."

Paul Dickerson, the manager of Dragon's Lair tattoo parlour, in Station Road, Sandiacre, took on Che as an apprentice 10 years ago.

He said: "We used to go and do tattoos at bike rallies and we always had such a laugh – he was a really good lad and he'll be missed by a lot of people.

"If it was bikes, tattoos or artwork, he loved it. He was always laughing and joking and he had friends all over the town."

Che then worked at Modern Body Art in Birmingham, commuting from Sandiacre every day.

Marie Lindley, who lives in Station Road, said she met Che after he worked on her first tattoo and the pair had remained close friends ever since.

The 25-year-old said: "Che had a really big heart and he was close friends with a lot of people. He was just a fantastic guy.

"We're quite a close knit community and a lot of people have been badly affected since he died."