FRIENDS and colleagues have paid tribute to a Hampstead School governor after his sudden death at Finchley Road tube station last Tuesday morning. Adam Rothapel, 32, from West Hampstead, who was also a private secretary to government minister Bridget Pren

FRIENDS and colleagues have paid tribute to a Hampstead School governor after his sudden death at Finchley Road tube station last Tuesday morning.

Adam Rothapel, 32, from West Hampstead, who was also a private secretary to government minister Bridget Prentice MP, died after he was stuck by a northbound Jubilee line train.

Police are not treating the incident as suspicious and an inquest into his death was launched by St Pancras Coroner Andrew Reid last Thursday.

Hampstead School governor Ed Fordham said: "He was quite a character and well known in the area. He was very colourful and cheerful and very quick witted.

"He came to the governors as a community governor. We had agreed to go for a beer and it was a real blow to get the news. He was a lovely guy and incredibly sharp. It is a real shame."

Another governor Geoff Berridge added: "He was a fairly new governor at Hampstead and he had a strong interest in education and was someone who wanted to get very involved in the school and the local community.

"He had lots of great ideas, a very interesting personality and we liked him very much. He will be greatly missed and we are very sorry this has happened."

An online tribute page called Adam Rothapel will be remembered has been set up and friends and family have been paying tribute to his warm and caring personality, his love of Newcastle Football Club and his generosity. He was due to marry his partner Samantha Baden in August.

In lieu of flowers his mother Hilary and his fianc�e have asked friends to donate money to the charities the National Association for Mental Health MIND and the

National Association for Crohns & Colitis.