MURDER: He didn't deserve to die like that

Seamus, real names James, had been carrying out damp proofing work at the home of his niece Deborah in the days just before he was killed.

She had paid him £170 because he had done a good job and to help him celebrate his 50th birthday which would have been the day after he met such a brutal death.

Deborah who lives in the Queensgate area of Burnley, said: "He didn't deserve to die like that.

"He was a gentle man who would not hurt anyone. He was loved and well-liked not only by his family, but by many people in the local community in Burnley where he had set up home.''

James, or Seamus as he was known to his wide circle of friends, was one of seven children brought up in the Falls Road area of Belfast.

He left Belfast for Burnley about eleven years ago, not to escape the troubles, but just to be closer to the members of his family already over here. He was a divorced man with three children living in Ireland.

Deborah said: "He settled down in Burnley straight away. He liked Burnley and he liked the people. He became a member of St Andrew's Conservative Club and was a regular visitor to the Waggoners pub."

He lived alone in Briercliffe Road not far from where he was found following the attack.

Deborah added: "He was a quiet man who would not trouble anyone.''

His sisters, Margaret, Mary, Patsy and brother Harry live in Ireland and his other sister, Catherine, lives in Surrey.

His brother John, Deborah's dad, was in Burnley when he died of a heart attack, aged just 52.

Speaking at Seamus's funeral at St John's RC Church, Ivy Street, parish priest Fr Michael Walters described him as a happy man who lived very simply.

He said: "No-one had a bad word to say about him and he always had a smile for everyone. He was a peace-loving person who just wanted to be friends with everyone.''

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