Funeral for murdered Northern Ireland officer
Friday, 13 March 2009 12:00 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
The funeral of the police officer killed by dissident republicans in Northern Ireland this week is due to take place later today.
Hundreds of mourners are expected at the St Therese's Church in Banbridge service to pay their last respects to Stephen Carroll.
The 48-year-old Catholic was shot in the back of the head as he attended an apparently fake 999 call from a woman in distress in Craigavon on Monday.
PC Carroll's widow Kate said she hoped no other families would have to suffer as she had.
"He thought this war was over, but obviously not and I just can't believe this has all started up again," she said.
"If Steve's death has made a positive effect on all of this that's all I care about. It's a hard lesson for everyone to learn but if it brings something positive out of it then fine, but I don't want Steven to have died in vain."
PC Carroll's murder by the Continuity IRA came days after two British soldiers were gunned down outside their army base in Massereene, County Antrim.
Sappers Mark Quinsey, 23, and Patrick Azimkar, 21, were shot more than 60 times by masked Real IRA gunmen when they came to collect a pizza delivery on Saturday evening.
The police service of Northern Ireland is currently questioning a 17-year-old boy and a 37-year-old man over the murder of PC Carroll, but detectives investigating the double murder at Massereene have so far made no arrests.
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