A FUNERAL for a healthcare expert who was shot dead at her Turkish holiday home will be held on Saturday.

The family of Anne Bury, of Swainby, North Yorkshire, will hold a private service in Middlesbrough, following the alleged attack by her gardener at the villa, in which her son, Alex, 24, and mother, Cecilia, 87, were also shot.

Veli Acar, 46, has been remanded in custody after the attack hours after Ms Bury celebrated her 56th birthday.

Acar’s family have claimed the pair had been a couple for several years, which Ms Bury’s family have denied.

Ms Bury's brother, Paul, said the family would celebrate the life of the former James Cook University Hospital midwife at the service.

Mr Bury told the BBC he wanted to thank well-wishers during what he said was "the most terrible of times".

He said: "We and all her friends remember Anne for what she really was: a caring, compassionate, considerate and trusting woman.

"She was a wonderful daughter, sister, and mother with a highly successful career."

Mr Bury said his mother and his Newcastle University graduate nephew, a former Stokesley School pupil, were still recovering from their injuries, but “the traumatic events of that night will stay with us all”.

An inquest into Ms Bury’s death has been opened and adjourned.