Colleagues in guard of honour as hit-and-run victim Karl laid to rest

Distraught family and friends at the funeral of Karl Robertson at St Luke’s Church

Ian Begley

Mourners flooded St Luke's Church in north Dublin yesterday morning to pay their respects to hit-and-run victim Karl Robertson - a man whose compassion for others "met no bounds".

The 28-year-old, from Castlekevin Road in Artane, was jogging when he was knocked down on Hazelwood Drive, not far from his home, last Wednesday evening.

A large crowd came out to pay their respects, many of them work colleagues of Karl's from Dunnes Stores in Northside Shopping Centre.

The retail staff donned their work uniforms and name badges, forming a guard of honour as the hearse arrived at the Kilmore church.

Tears

His mother Kathy, father Tony and sister Niamh arrived in tears, embracing each other as they entered the church.

Fr Gary Darby started the service by describing Karl as a man with "so much goodness and care".

"We gather here this morning to offer the soul of a well-respected and loved young man into the loving presence of God," Fr Darby said.

"Before the unforeseen and tragic events of last Wednesday evening, life for Karl, his parents, his sister, extended family and friends was very normal.

"Yet, without any sense of warning or preparation, Karl was suddenly taken from this world. We at St Luke's parish sympathise and walk side-by-side in empathy with Karl's family and friends.

"We do so in acknowledging the enormous impact it has had on the family and indeed on our community at large here in Kilmore.

"When a loved one is suddenly taken from this world it brings with it a sense of disbelief and numbness.

"Karl was a fantastic young man with a generous heart. He was family orientated, kind to people in his place of work and an all-round balanced person with good values and principals in life," he added.

Karl's friends and family then presented a number of items by his coffin in remembrance of his life, including an MP3 player and a coffee cup.

Karl's godfather Freddie also spoke of his "quiet and generous" nature.

Compassion

"I was always impressed by his calm and quiet manner. Karl was never any bother to his parents. He got on very well with his friends and neighbours alike. His compassion for others met no bounds," he said.

"Soon after leaving school, Karl found work in Dunnes and quickly settled into his new routine. He loved his work and co-workers - they were like a second family to him.

"He was simply brilliant in his understanding of new technology and assisted me and many others on many occasions."

The funeral also featured some of Karl's favourite songs, with renditions of David Bowie's Starman and Let It Be by The Beatles. He was then laid to rest in Balgriffin Cemetery.

The driver of the Renault van that hit Karl did not stop at the scene and the vehicle was set alight soon after in Coolock.

A man later presented himself to gardai and made a statement. No arrests have been made to date.