Police hunting airman's killer capture murder suspect
Military police hunting the killer of airman Brent McCarthy, who was shot while on tour in Afghanistan, have captured a murder suspect, his family have been told.
Corporal Brent McCarthy's parents have received news that one or more people are being detained by Afghan authorities in connection with their son's murder.
The 25-year-old is buried at St Nicholas Church in Codsall.
His parents Sarah and John McCarthy, of Priorslee, Telford gave their permission for a photograph of the 25-year-old's body to be released to prosecutors in Afghanistan as evidence in the case.
The couple now await news of any charges being brought and say they want justice for their son.
Corporal McCarthy, who was attached to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed while guarding a base in Lashkar Gar in Helmand Province.
The RAF policeman died of unsurvivable injuries alongside 27-year-old Lance Corporal Lee Davies, after they were shot by two men in Afghan police uniform in May 2012.
Chilling photographs emerged of the British comrades smiling and posing with their killers just moments before they opened fire.
The man thought to have murdered Lance Corporal Davies was shot by a British soldier as he fled the compound and was later executed by Afghan police - but the second man escaped.
The wanted man's sponsor, who acted as his mentor in the Afghan police, was arrested last December and questioned as to the whereabouts of Corporal McCarthy's killer.
Mr and Mrs McCarthy believe the sponsor may have given information which resulted in the man's arrest.
"I believe they've caught him," said Mrs McCarthy. "I wanted to go out there and see him face-to-face. And I wanted him to face the death penalty in the beginning but I don't know now. Time has passed and you feel more controlled over your feelings. The main thing is to get justice for Brent now and to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else. It's just a case of waiting for more information which is difficult."
A letter from the Army Headquarters director of personal operations bereavement support said: "You may be aware there are a number of detainees being held by the authorities in Afghanistan for alleged crimes against members of our armed forces.
"Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to obtain accurate and detailed information from the authorities but there is evidence to suggest that one of more were involved in the shooting that killed your son Brent.
"Under the Afghan judiciary when criminal charges are made against these detainees it's essential for a photograph of the person killed to be presented in evidence to the courts. In order for this case to proceed it is intended to use photographs taken by the Royal Military Police at the time of the incident which is held on their files.
"The handling of the photographs will be the responsibility of the Afghan prosecution support service."
