Liverpool photo journalist Paul Conroy injured in shell attack in Syrian city of Homs

Feb 23 2012 by Gemma Jaleel, Liverpool Echo

Paul Conroy

LIVERPOOL freelance filmmaker and photo-journalist Paul Conroy was injured in the Syrian shell attack which killed journalists Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik.

Married dad-of-three Paul, 47, who is originally from Anfield, last year provided a series of three special reports for the ECHO documenting the uprising in Libya.

Activists have reported that a makeshift media centre in the Baba Amr area of Homs had come under heavy attack.

Liverpool supporter Paul, who is married to Kate and has three sons – Max, 20, Kim, 18, and 11-year-old Otto – is a former radio operator with the British Army (Royal Artillery) and has spent the last 13 years as a freelance film-maker and photo-journalist.

He left for Syria 10 days ago to work alongside writer Marie Colvin, for the Sunday Times, who died in the attack.

Paul has lived in Totnes, Devon, for years but his parents, Les and Joan, still live in Knotty Ash.

His dad said : “We heard that Paul has been injured in the leg and that Marie had been killed.

“At first we had no idea how seriously he has been injured.

“When you don’t know anything, it’s a big problem, we’ve been watching the TV trying to find out what’s going on.

“His wife, Kate, got a call from the Sunday Times – she had to wait half an hour before they could confirm whether he was alive – but it was another photographer (Frenchman Remi Ochlik) who died.

“We were sad to hear that he and Marie had died.”