The train passenger stabbed to death in Surrey in front of his 14-year-old son has been named as Lee Pomeroy.

A statement released by his family paid tribute to Pomeroy, who would have celebrated his 52nd birthday on Saturday.

It said he was looking forward to taking his son on a day trip to London, but was stabbed multiple times after an altercation onboard a Guildford to London Waterloo train at about 1pm on Friday.

The statement, released through British Transport Police (BTP) almost 24 hours after the killing, said: “He was a devoted family man and did everything for his family. He was an honourable man and would always help somebody who was in trouble. He was a loving husband and father, he will be deeply missed by all his family.

“Lee would have had his birthday today but did not get to see his presents. He was an honest, bright person who loved music very much, he knew history and art and he was a bachelor of science in Maths.”

His family said the trip with his son was planned so they could spend some quality time together. They described the attack as “horrific and pointless”.

The statement came hours after police hunting the man who killed Pomeroy announced they had arrested a suspect.

The 35-year-old was detained at an address in the Farnham area at about 6am on Saturday on suspicion of murder. A 27-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

DCI Sam Blackburn from BTP said: “This is a fast-moving investigation and I am pleased that overnight we were able to arrest a man following a huge amount of police inquiries.

“The investigation is moving with good progress and we are now confident to say that this is not believed to be a random assault.

“In the moments leading to the violent killing, both men appeared to be involved in an altercation lasting three minutes. Nothing justified the extraordinary violence that followed and we are concentrating our efforts on the ongoing investigation.”

Pomeroy’s son and other family members are being supported by family liaison officers.

“We are continuing our appeal for information and I would urge anyone who was onboard the train to contact us as soon as possible,” Blackburn added.

• This article was amended on 7 January 2019 to correct the spelling of Lee Pomeroy’s name in the text, subheading and picture caption, which an earlier version spelled as Pomery.