Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
It’s too long without my brother but pain is fresh
Victim’s sister still haunted by Real IRA double murder
a Polish national, by saying they had been “collaborating with British rule”.
Jaime, 35, revealed what happened still impacts on her life every day, and memories of her visit to Northern Ireland to commemorate Mark’s life continue to haunt her. “I think it is a beautiful thing people in Northern Ireland mark the anniversary and they have this remembrance bench for Mark and Patrick,” she said.
“My family are so grateful and I wanted to be there, but at the minute, it’s just far too painful. The last time I was there my mum collapsed and had a seizure right outside the gates where my brother was murdered.
“I saw her stop breathing and going blue and I thought I lost her too at the very same spot as I lost Mark.
“Her body reacted like this because it truly could not cope. Every time I went there it was so I could be there to support her. She was not well enough to go and should not have gone because it totally destroyed her more and more each time, but she wanted to be there for Mark.
“But for now, since I lost her as well, going back to those gates feels too much. Mum cried from the day we lost him until the day she died.” Jaime, who grew up in Birmingham, is now living out her brother’s dream. She added: “Mark wanted to see the world in the Army, so I live through him. I take my eyes to places for him to see and experience, I travel and scatter his ashes in countries across the world. “I try to live life to the full because life is short. Life is precious.”