Bobby Storey funeral: Roselawn staff went home early ‘to avoid photographs,’ says Belfast City Council

The council said Roselawn’s indoor facilities (including the crematorium) are totally closed to mourners, but that people can hold services outside the building.

The council said that an unnamed “local elected representative had also informed the council officials that people, appointed by the family, would be on site to assist the family in ensuring that the only people given access to the site would be family”.

These people were in a “stewarding role” and worked with council staff, it said – adding “this is no different to what would normally be the case in a high-profile cremation”.

The council said some staff had finished early and the council, “to avoid a situation where staff would be photographed, as has happened with other high-profile funerals”.

In addition, the council had acknowledged that there were three open slots for cremations to take place after Mr Storey, but that it had decided on June 26 to make them unavailable to the public, making Mr Storey the last that day.

The council said this was “in order to protect the privacy of other members of the public and their cremation services... Belfast City Council did not know whether to anticipate high numbers or otherwise and therefore planned for all instances”.

When asked about its own role at Roselawn (where it was said that a couple of unmarked cars were present) the PSNI responded: “We do not comment on operational matters.”

The force would also not be drawn on the number of mourners at the cemetery.

The council-run crematorium and graveyard complex are closed to visitors except on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Sundays.