Several thousand people attended the funeral near Portadown in County Armagh of the leading loyalist, Richard Jameson, who was shot dead outside his home on Monday evening. Mr Jameson was well known in business circles in Portadown, but was also belived to be a leading member of the UVF, although his family have strongly denied such claims.
There were no obvious paramiliatry trappings at the funeral but it was clearly a loyalist-type funeral, the biggest in the North for some time. The cortege was headed by Richard Jameson's wife Moira, and their three children. Among the several thousand mourners were leading loyalist spokesmen David Ervine and Gary McMichael, and the prominent Drumcree Orangeman, Harold Gracey. At one point the coffin was carried by several of the dead mans brothers, including one injured by an IRA bomb some years ago.
The 46-year-old father-of-three was shot dead outside his home five miles from Portadown, County Armagh on Monday night. In a statement, last night, the dissident paramilitary group said speculation that Mr Jameson had been killed as a result of a feud between the Ulster Volunteer Force and the LVF was wrong. So far no group has admitted the killing. The family has appealed for no retaliation. Mr Jameson was buried after a service in Tartaraghan Parish Church.
