Pirates travel to Loftus for 14-year-old’s funeral

Pirates from across the country attended the funeral of a 14-year-old fan of all things pirates.

Billy Maskell, of Liverton Mines, died on December 15. He was born with life-limiting Dravet syndrome.

The teenager, who was “always laughing and smiling”, loved pirates, so with the support of local pirate groups, a guard of honor awaited him at St Leonard’s Church in Loftus.

Described as “a fighter” by his father Danny, the teen suffered a seizure that “he couldn’t come out of at the moment”.

His mother Nicola said the Pirates exit was “special” and that her son “would have been over the moon”.

Video by Dan Ragusa and Adam Clarkson