Former MLA on his slain sibling Bobbie McKee: 'He was just a genuine kind-hearted brother - he and his wife did everything together'

​Harold McKee was speaking as the Co Down town comes to terms with the loss of the 69-year-old father in what police believe was an act of murder.

Bobbie was an Orangeman, an active member of Mourne Presbyterian Church, and had been a leader in the Boys’ Brigade.

His death is the second one which the Mourne Presbyterian congregation has had to deal with in just a fortnight.

Maynard Hanna, a unionist stalwart of the town and fellow Orangeman (Roden LOL 1943, just to the north of Kilkeel) was also a member of the same church, and was also aged 69.

He died of natural causes on March 9 and his funeral was held there on March 12.

The funeral details for Bobbie McKee had not been released at time of writing.

It is understood that his wife Yvonne, who was also hurt in the same incident last Thursday, is recovering in hospital and wants to be able to attend the service.

They were attacked at their house on Newcastle Road sometime last week.

The home is on the north-easterly edge of the fishing town. The couple suffered what’s believed to have been an electrical fire in early 2022, and part of their roof needed to be rebuilt.

The PSNI were called shortly after 12.50pm last Thursday to the address, where they found Bobbie not breathing, and Yvonne with head wounds.

Harold – who served as a UUP MLA for South Down during 2016/17 and later as a TUV councillor – said: “He was just a genuine, kind-hearted brother in every way.

"And easily off your lips you would say, whenever you were talking: 'It's Bobby and Yvonne, or it's Yvonne and Bobby'. They always did things jointly.

"They were always so close to one another. And they were terrific organisers of any events or functions that took place.

"They were so good at it – floral arrangements for the church, a lot of that stuff, it was done jointly. They were very, very well-known in the community.”

They were, he said, just “nice people”.

Harold and Bobbie belonged to the same lodge, Kilkeel True Blues LOL 1034.