Sister of Birmingham soldier Mark Quinsey labels his killers as cowards
The sister of a Birmingham soldier murdered by dissident republicans in Northern Ireland described his killers as "cowards" today and said her "best friend" did not deserve to die.
Speaking during the funeral service of Sapper Mark Quinsey, who was shot dead outside the Massereene Barracks in Antrim on March 7, his sister Jaime said she was struggling to come to terms with his murder.
Reading a letter she had written to her brother, the 25-year-old said: "It breaks my heart to think that I will never see you again. What's happened to you is just so hard for me to understand.
"You were the most caring, respectable young lad I knew. You did not deserve what those cowards did to you."
Hundreds of people, including church leaders from all the Christian denominations in Ireland, packed into the Immanuel Church in Highters Heath, Birmingham, for the service.
During her emotional tribute, Miss Quinsey spoke of her love for her brother. She told mourners: "Mark, I never did tell you how much I did love you, but I hope you knew that I did, and I always will.
"Mum thought that she would hold her children's hands for the rest of her life. Dad says he has lost his best friend. You will always remain in our hearts. I will always love you."
The sapper's sister also spoke to the media outside the church, where she thanked the people of Northern Ireland for their messages of support.
Miss Quinsey told reporters she was "absolutely amazed" at the huge turnout for the hour-long funeral and also at the number of heart-warming tributes paid to her brother on Facebook.
"I am heartbroken and I am going to miss him so much," she said. "Whenever I was down, he just made me smile and said things to crack me up. He was just so funny, always up for a laugh."
Miss Quinsey pointed out that, in the future, her children would not have an uncle.
"He never deserved any of this," she added. "He was a great guy, he was honest and caring."
The soldier's aunt, Norma Clarke, also addressed the media following the service. She thanked the public and Prime Minister Gordon Brown for condolences passed on to Sapper Quinsey's parents, Pamela and Billy.
She then offered her own family's condolences to the relatives of Patrick Azimkar, of London, who also died in the Massereene Barracks shooting, and those of Police Constable Stephen Carroll, who was shot dead in Craigavon.
"We pray that there will be no more deaths," she added.
