THE parents of a Rochdale man shot dead by a gunman in Jordan said the news that his killer had been sentenced to death helped them `move on a little bit'.

Christopher Stokes, 30, from Littleborough, was killed in September when the lone attacker fired at his tour party as they visited a Roman amphitheatre in the capital, Amman.

Jordan's military court convicted Jordanian-Palestinian Nabeel Ahmed Issa al-Jaourah of murdering Christopher and sentenced him to death by hanging.

Christopher's father, Rod Stokes, 59, said: "It feels like closure for us in one part. We can move on a little bit.

His wife, Norma, 60, added: "We're relieved that the verdict has come quickly. It's what we were expecting."

Mr Stokes said: "We have no strong revenge feelings. We take the view that if it was an act of terrorism, as they say, and if it's the law of the land that the guy be executed, then that's it.

Laws

"We're not saying this is how it should be, but we don't feel we're in a position to judge the laws of another country."

The computer programmer said he and his wife, a retired primary school teacher, had `never really identified with or thought about' the gunman. He said: "We've regarded him the same as a runaway bus or train killing our son. We've enough to bother about without thinking about him."

The couple, speaking at the home they had shared with Christopher, an accountant, said getting through Christmas would be `a struggle'.

Mr Stokes said: "We're trying to get through Christmas the best we can by keeping the family together and sharing our memories of Christopher, but it will be a struggle."

He said his visit to Jordan last month with his wife had been more helpful than al-Jaourah's sentencing in dealing with their son's death. We met a lot of people connected with the shooting, the policeman who was shot at and made the arrest and witnesses, as well as the British ambassador," he said.

"But, most importantly, we did the thing Christopher was most looking forward to in his trip and never got to do - we visited Petra, an archaeological site. He was to go the next day."

Al-Jaourah can appeal against the guilty verdict.

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