THE funeral of a North-East bodyguard who was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq is to be held today.

Father-of-three Alan Parkin died when his convoy was targeted on the notorious "Road of Death", near Baghdad Airport.

The 44-year-old, from Consett, County Durham, was an ex-Para who devoted his life to the Army.

Mr Parkin, who spent 23 years in the Army, with tours of duty to Bosnia, the Gulf and Northern Ireland, went to Iraq to work as a bodyguard last summer.

He worked for London-based Aegis Defence Services, whose main contract is for the US Government's Department of Defence.

He died in a three-vehicle explosion on April 21.

Mr Parkin leaves a wife, Zena, and three children Sonia, 21, Daniel, 18, and Dean, 15.

An inquest was opened and adjourned yesterday by North Durham coroner Andrew Tweddle pending further inquiries.

The funeral will be held at Consett Parish Church at 2pm followed by burial at Blackhill Cemetery.