LOCAL COMMUNITY GRIPPED BY GRIEF

The lifelong friends, both aged 18, died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in an apartment in Castlerock.

Aaron, from Fernagh Road, and Neil, from nearby King's Walk, were found dead by their distraught parents at the Tunnel Brae apartment complex last Tuesday evening (August 3). Their friend Matthew Gaw, who was also in the property, survived.

The three boys had been enjoying a few days away on the north coast prior to receiving their exam results later this month. They were also planning a dream trip to New York in September.

Matthew, an 18-year-old engineering apprentice, was well enough to leave hospital at the end of last week to attend his best friends' funerals.

A service of thanksgiving for Neil's life was held at Newtownabbey Methodist Mission in Rathcoole on Saturday morning, while Aaron's funeral service took place on Monday at the Church of the Ascension, Doagh Road. Both boys were laid to rest in Carnmoney Cemetery.

Aaron and Neil's heartbroken parents described their boys as "perfect sons", while their school Principal said they had been "role model pupils". Hundreds of tributes have been paid to the popular teenagers since the terrible tragedy, with friends describing them as "the nicest guys ever."

Among the hundreds of mourners who attended both funerals were Newtownabbey Mayor Paula Bradley and Deputy Mayor Tommy Kirkham.

Alderman Bradley, herself the mother of an 18-year-old boy, described the deaths as "a truly tragic incident", while councillor Kirkham said the tragedy had been "heartbreaking news for the borough."

SDLP councillor Noreen McClelland, who visited both families last week, said the whole community had been left devastated by the deaths.

"Speaking to both families and listening to the tributes paid to both Aaron and Neil by teachers, friends and those who knew them, it is clear to see how exceptional these two young men were and what a great credit they were to their families," she said.

DUP councillor Billy Ball knew both teenagers well and described their deaths as "a terrible tragedy."

On Monday, just hours after Aaron's funeral, investigators from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland confirmed that they had identified a defective liquid petroleum gas appliance at the Castlerock apartment as the source of the suspected carbon monoxide leak. As a precaution, they also issued a safety warning to householders in the area who have had gas work carried out by a Coleraine-based trader.

For more on this story, see this week's Times...