Funeral of female officer killed in a gun and grenade attack being held today

 
Undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes (right), 26 who were killed in the line of duty while attending a "routine incident" today which led to the arrest of one of the country's most wanted men. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday September 18, 2012. Dale Cregan gave himself up to police soon after the incident, Greater Manchester Police said. Cregan, 29, was being hunted in connection with separate gun and grenade attacks that killed a father and son. See PA story POLICE Wanted. Photo credit should read: Greater Manchester Police/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Manchester Police/PA
3 October 2012
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The funeral for one of the two policewoman murdered in a gun and grenade attack will be held later today at Manchester Cathedral.

Pc Nicola Hughes, was just 23 with her whole life ahead of her, her devastated family has said.

She died in the line of duty along with her colleague Pc Fiona Bone, 32, when they were lured to their deaths by a bogus burglary call to a house in Hattersley, Tameside on September 18.

The shocking murders prompted a huge outpouring of public support with condolences paid by the Queen and Prime Minister David Cameron.

Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), described the force's fallen policewomen as "two wonderful human beings, two very dedicated officers".

Pc Hughes, who lived in the Oldham area with her mother, Susan, also leaves behind her father, Bryn, and younger brother, Sam.

She joined Greater Manchester Police in 2009, because her family said she wanted to make a difference and was doing a job she loved and was happy with her life.

Fellow officers described their young colleague as a chatterbox, someone always smiling, with a bubbly, infectious personality.

Officers from forces across the country have volunteered to cover the shifts of GMP colleagues so they can attend the 1pm service today.

Entry to both funerals is by invitation only, but central Manchester is expected to come to a standstill as members of the public pay their respects when the cortege passes through the heart of the city centre along Deansgate.

Police chiefs said they have been overwhelmed and heartened by the public support with more than 25,000 messages of condolence on its website, 19,000 via Facebook and another 1,000 on Twitter.

Members of the public are also expected to gather to honour Pc Hughes on screens outside the Cathedral relaying the service inside.

The funeral of Pc Bone will take place tomorrow morning at the Cathedral.

:: Dale Cregan, 29, is currently on remand accused of the murder of both policewomen, two further murders and four attempted murders.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in