‘We needed to be sure it was him going in there’
Exclusive Sister and nieces of suspected murder victim Michelle Bickerstaff tell why they went to the funeral of the ‘monster’ they believe killed her
Just 20 turn up for cremation of Co Down
triple murder suspect Leslie Ross
A GRIEVING woman who attended the cremation of a man suspected of killing her sister said last night she was there to make sure Leslie Ross was “gone for good”.
The sister of Michelle Bickerstaff — one of three women Ross was suspected of killing — said: “That’s it over. But nobody got justice.”
A GRIEVING family yesterday attended the funeral of the “monster” once suspected of murdering three girlfriends to ensure Leslie Ross was “gone for good”.
One of Michelle Bickerstaff ’s sisters, Yvette Sparks, and three of her nieces sat through the ‘Celebration of the Life’ of Ross before he was cremated.
The funeral for the 70-yearold pensioner from Co Down was held yesterday morning following a service lasting less than 20 minutes.
Just over 20 people gathered in the small church at Roselawn Crematorium to witness the last journey of a cruel, abusive man who will now never face justice for a catalogue of crimes.
Those whose lives Leslie Ross destroyed, however, believe he will pay for his sins elsewhere.
The stonemason from Dromore succumbed to cancer last week, on the very day he was due in court on a litany of sex abuse charges, including rapes.
He was suspected, although not convicted, of murdering mother-of-four Michelle (47), whose family say she was subjected to unrelenting mental and physical abuse.
He was also suspected of killing two other former partners.
Ms Bickerstaff, his most recent ex-girlfriend, died from head injuries in 2012.
Ross was charged with her murder.
But he walked free when the court heard her injuries could have been caused by a fall.
Seated on the opposite aisle to Ross’s family and other acquaintances, Yvette and her nieces maintained a dignified silence throughout.
But, speaking to the Belfast Telegraph afterwards, Ms Bickerstaff ’s family, who were visibly shaken by the ceremony, said they had taken the difficult decision to attend purely “for closure”.
“We wanted to make sure it was definitely him going in there,” Yvette said.
“We needed to see this for ourselves. At least that’s him gone for good now.
“That’s it over.
“But nobody got justice. “He got off very lightly.” Michelle’s niece Zoe Sparks, daughter of her other sister Sharon, said she’d found it difficult to listen to what was said at Roselawn about the man responsible for so much hurt.
Those inside the crematorium heard Rev David Cooper — who told the Belfast Telegraph later that he was totally unaware of Ross’s evil past — try to comfort mourners by telling them they’d have “so many memories that you will keep in your hearts always”.
After singing five verses of The Lord Is My Shepherd, and making no mention of Ross’s heinous crimes, Rev Cooper delivered a short sermon about the Plymouth-born father-of-two, whom he said was an accomplished stonemason.
“You’ll remember today the kind of things he liked to do — he loved Westerns, cowboy films,” said the retired Methodist minister.
“One of his favourite television programmes was The Chase and he loved those programmes, whether it was Bargain Hunt, or Deal Or No Deal, or The Antiques Roadshow; he was interested in those kind of things.
“He had a great collection of walking sticks and pokers, so those were among the things he was interested in.
“One of his dreams — never realised — was of having a bungalow with a little piece of ground and an old Jaguar car to work at.
“Well, even if our dreams are not realised, we need to have dreams because they help to complete the ordinariness of our life even in that we dream of other things.”
And Rev Cooper — who later admitted that he had not been fully briefed about Ross prior to the funeral — continued with his summation of the deceased’s time on Earth.
“He had a chainsaw and he sometimes cut down the trees,” the minister said.
“Another thing you’ll remember about him, like many of us, he loved coffee and you’ll have had happy times of sharing that with him.
“He moved to Newtownards in February last year.
“Sadly, 18 months ago he was diagnosed with cancer and had to face radiotherapy treatment.
“But even with all that he had to face, it’s wonderful today to think that he was out and about right up to the day before he died, so we’re thankful for that.”
Prior to the committal, the
That’s him gone for good now. But nobody got justice. He got off lightly