Hundreds turn out to remember murdered teenager

One year on, and hundreds of people gathered yesterday to mark the anniversary of the murder of Protestant teenager Gavin Brett – killed by loyalist paramilitaries in north Belfast.

People from across Northern Ireland came together to remember 18-year-old Gavin who was cut down by gunfire from a passing car on the Hightown Road. He had been talking with a group of Catholic friends outside St Enda's GAA club when the UDA gunmen struck. A Catholic teenager was also injured in the shooting. A member of St Enda's, Gerard Lawlor (19), would be murdered less than a year later – killed by the UFF, which is also linked to the UDA.

Many filed into the family's local church in Carnmoney for a service that was attended by representatives of Northern Ireland's main denominations. Afterwards, crowds made their way to the spot where Gavin was murdered, and the man who led the ceremony – Carnmoney minister the Rev Nigel Baylor – made an impassioned appeal for all forms of violence to be "eradicated".

"We have a culture of violence here which must be eradicated," Rev Baylor said after the ceremony.

Referring to the murder of Gerard Lawlor last week, he added: "The silent majority are disgusted and disillusioned by what happened on Sunday night. Ordinary people are coming together to say that these actions are not representative of the community and are not what we want."

Gavin's parents, Michael and Phyllis Brett met with the parents of Gerard Lawlor at a similar vigil last Monday.

(GMcG)