Longworth (England), Aug 06: The family of government weapons expert David Kelly gathered today for a private funeral, but controversy continued over his role as the source of a broadcast report which challenged the integrity of the government's case about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The funeral of Kelly, who killed himself more than two weeks ago, came a day after one of Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesmen apologised for suggesting that the dead man may have been a "Walter Mitty" fantasist.
Kelly, who was found dead on July 18 near his Oxfordshire home, subsequently was identified as the source of a British Broadcasting Corp. Report which suggested the government had ignored expert advice in claiming that Iraq could deploy chemical and biological weapons on 45 minutes notice.
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott planned to represent the government at the funeral.
Police were setting up a cordon to keep the media out of Longworth and nearby Southmoor, where Kelly lived.
The vicar of St Mary's church, the Rev. Roy Woodhams, said Kelly's relatives wanted few details of the service to be revealed in advance.
"Dr Kelly's wife and daughters have had an awful lot of media attention in the past few weeks and there will be more with Lord Hutton's inquiry," Woodhams said.
"I think they just wanted to keep this one occasion private and for themselves." Bureau Report