Funeral for British patrol victim

Local residents lined part of the funeral's route

The funeral of a British serviceman killed in fighting in Afghanistan has been held in Nottingham.

L/Cpl Paul Sandford, 23, from 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, was shot on patrol in Helmand Province in early June.

He was the 59th member of the British armed forces to die since the beginning of the Afghanistan conflict.

The Ministry of Defence said he died when his company was moving forward to clear a Taleban compound.

The funeral took place on Wednesday at Mary Magdalene Church in his home town of Hucknall before a private committal at Titchfield Park cemetery.

Following his death, L/Cpl Sandford's family paid an emotional tribute to the soldier who, they said, died doing a job he had been determined to do since he was 11.

His father Terry said: "(His wife) Gaynor is absolutely distraught. He's only been married a year. So there's not going to be a 25-year anniversary or a 50-year anniversary."

Tipped for quick promotion, L/Cpl Sandford - who boxed for his company - had already seen overseas service in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan in 2004, Kenya, Belize and Canada.