FAMILY and friends of a man who was killed by his girlfriend have appealed for help to buy a gravestone.

Robert Dobinson, known as Raggy, was stabbed to death by Natasha Elderfield on October 19 last year.

The pair had got into an argument on her boat, which was moored on the Thames near Abingdon, and he died later that evening in hospital.

He is buried in Coach Lane cemetery in Faringdon but his family could not afford to buy him a gravestone so his final resting place is marked by a plaque and flowers.

Now mum Violet, 55, and older sister Jackie, 32, are being helped by friends to raise the £1,045 needed to buy a permanent memorial to the 33-year-old.

Elderfield, 41, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter by a jury at Oxford Crown Court in April and was jailed for nine years in June.

Violet Dobinson, who works as a cleaner at a retirement home, said: “Gravestones are expensive and I only work part-time and I do not have a lot of money.

“It would be nice to get it done by his first anniversary on October 19. I go up and put flowers on his grave twice a week.

“His grave is always nice, he has lots of flowers and there is a plaque to show where it is.

“But it is just missing that headstone, that final touch.”

Mr Dobinson was a Manchester United fan and his mother said she wanted his gravestone to have the football club’s crest on it.

Family friend Lisa Merritt, who used to work with Mrs Dobinson and knew Mr Dobinson since he was a baby, started the fundraising process.

She has already placed a collection tin in The Barber Shop, in Cornmarket, Faringdon, and is planning to hold raffles and car boot sales to help raise the rest.

The 50-year-old said: “I knew that Violet never had the money. I lost my son Joshua 24 years ago and I did not have any money and I just know how awful that feels.

“I do not want Violet to worry about something else.

“It is the last thing we can do for Raggy, everybody deserves that. Raggy was a big name in Faringdon. Everybody knew him.”

Ms Merritt said people could donate money to the collection tin in The Barber Shop or could give directly to AE Baker and Sons Funeral Directors in Cardinal House, Faringdon.

She said people were also invited to get involved with organising events to help raise the money.

Mr Dobinson’s sister Jackie said: “It would mean so much to us to get it sorted.

“It would make it easier on the anniversary if we know we have a gravestone sorted.

“It will be a difficult time for us but that would make it easier.”

* To get involved with fundraising visit the RIP Robert ‘Raggy’ Smith page on Facebook.