Flt Lt Steve Keen
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Swindon
Age: 58
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Deeply saddened to hear of Steve's death. I was lucky to fly with him many times at Lyneham and I have always thought of him as one of lifes true gentlemen.
RIP
Higgy
RIP
Higgy
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wherever Aunty Betty sends me.
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What a loss
I was on IOT with Steve, he really was one of the best. He was a true gent and a good friend. I was shocked to hear the news. My heartfelt condolences to the family. He may be lost to us but he will never be forgotten.
RIP
RIP
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Dorset
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Shocked and saddened to hear this. I had the pleasure of working with Steve towards the end of my time at Lyneham and he was indeed a true gent. My sincere condolences to his family.
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Lyneham
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
True Gent
Steve was my first Boss on the ALM section at LXX Sqn, he never failed to impress with his knowledge of the trade or airforce in general; he always encouraged you to achieve your maximum and was constantly there when you needed advice wether professional or of a personal nature. Steve you will be missed greatly, condolences to your family and may you RIP.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Calgary
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was shockened and saddened to hear the news of Steves sudden death. His smiling face and chearful disposition where always a welcome sight during my many hours travelling in the back of Albert. Steve was a true professional but above all a gentleman. My sincerest condolences to his family.
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 868
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lost for words....
Just found this thread and had to read it twice to believe it. Steve was one of my first ALM leaders on 47 and was a true gentleman and a great boss. Have great memories of hopping on the ferry to Dublin to watch the rugby internationals with the gang.
I feel physically sickened to read of his murder. What a senseless and tragic waste of life.
My deepest condolences.
You will be missed very much Steve. RIP my friend.
I feel physically sickened to read of his murder. What a senseless and tragic waste of life.
My deepest condolences.
You will be missed very much Steve. RIP my friend.
Last edited by TheWizard; 14th Jul 2006 at 14:26.
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: In Hyperspace...
Posts: 395
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I had the pleasure of spending some drinking time with Steve during a STANEVAL visit to MPA last year. A true professional and a bloody nice bloke as well. His lockpicking skills were legendary - he taught me how to 'crack' a simplex lock in 30 seconds!
I do hope the b@stard responsible for this is strung up and allowed to die slowly - what an utter, senseless waste.
RIP Steve.
I do hope the b@stard responsible for this is strung up and allowed to die slowly - what an utter, senseless waste.
RIP Steve.
Steve was one of the nicest gentlemen, that I have had the pleasure to fly with. He was a caring Boss for his section on LXX Sqn and was always helping out on the Sqn behind the scenes, at social occasions. A top bloke and a top locksmith too.
It saddens me to write about him in the past tense.
RIP Steve.
It saddens me to write about him in the past tense.
RIP Steve.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was the co-pilot on the constituted crew with Kev Nurse and Steve Keen on the C130 during the Falklands campaign and the subsequent years of Air Bridge operations between Ascension and Stanley. I am stunned by the news of his death. I wholeheartedly endorse everything that Kev said about Steve and although I had not kept in touch with him in recent years I still find it a shock as we all spent such a long period of time together as a crew. If anybody can provide details of when and where the funeral is to take place then I would very much appreciate a PM, thank you. My sincere condolances to all those close to Steve. I will probably post my anecdotal memories of my time with him as a crew colleague at a later date.
Last edited by Smudger; 15th Jul 2006 at 20:55.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Swindon
Age: 48
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Funeral Details
On behalf of myself and the rest of the Keen family I would like to thank you all for your kind words. It has been a comfort to the family to read these messages and to know that my dad was well regarded by those who knew him.
Funeral details are as follows:
The funeral service will be held at St Michaels Church, Lyneham at 1:30pm on Friday July 28, followed by private cremation.
Family flowers only please but donations in lieu to The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.
All enquiries to Maslin Funeral Service, 118a High St, Wootton Bassett, SN4 7AU. Tel 01793 848700
Funeral details are as follows:
The funeral service will be held at St Michaels Church, Lyneham at 1:30pm on Friday July 28, followed by private cremation.
Family flowers only please but donations in lieu to The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.
All enquiries to Maslin Funeral Service, 118a High St, Wootton Bassett, SN4 7AU. Tel 01793 848700
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: cambridge
Posts: 395
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
hello, chappie here. i am so so sorry for the devastating loss and bewilderment that you will feel as a family through these dark days.
i did not have the priviledge of knowing steve but having had the honour of visiting lyneham and losing my brother , who was part of the community, i know that the loss will be felt far and wide and my thoughts also are with the station at this time.
my brother, bob o'connor, was one of the crew on XV179 , who lost his life on 30 jan 05. the sense of loss is beyond words and the pain so raw it takes all your will to keep breathing. be kind to yourselves , do not be strong, just do what you need to get through this time. it's a case of taking baby steps one minute, one hour, one day at a time. you can always PM me if there is anything i can do, or offer, please.as an intensive care nurse i deal with the pain, so please do not hesitate to ask for help. military is still your family, if you need anyhting i'll do my best. i'm sure that bob and the boys will have a cold beer waiting in the great bar in the sky.
i did not have the priviledge of knowing steve but having had the honour of visiting lyneham and losing my brother , who was part of the community, i know that the loss will be felt far and wide and my thoughts also are with the station at this time.
my brother, bob o'connor, was one of the crew on XV179 , who lost his life on 30 jan 05. the sense of loss is beyond words and the pain so raw it takes all your will to keep breathing. be kind to yourselves , do not be strong, just do what you need to get through this time. it's a case of taking baby steps one minute, one hour, one day at a time. you can always PM me if there is anything i can do, or offer, please.as an intensive care nurse i deal with the pain, so please do not hesitate to ask for help. military is still your family, if you need anyhting i'll do my best. i'm sure that bob and the boys will have a cold beer waiting in the great bar in the sky.
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: North America
Posts: 56
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Senseless loss of a nice guy
Former colleague, nice bloke, always keen to help, ex neighbour in Duncan St - so sorry for his family trying to make sense of this. My thoughts are with you.
My abiding memory would be from 1989 when he was doing my ground cat - I think we did more laughing than work.
My abiding memory would be from 1989 when he was doing my ground cat - I think we did more laughing than work.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Attended Steve's funeral today. Fitting sendoff, what can I say. Our thoughts are with his family and all those close to him. Cheers Steve, we will remember you forever with affection and a smile.
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Wootton Bassett
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Saddened
The loss of a very much admired and respected person, I had flown with Steve on many occasions and saw him a few times at Aldershot whilst he was on his locksmiths course. What a triadic end for a man who still had plenty to offer. I was unable to attend the funeral due to work, but Dutch said that Steve had a good send off.
Our thoughts are with his family and all those close to him.
Our thoughts are with his family and all those close to him.
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 737
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Flt Lt Steve Keen (update)
Original thread locked (why?)
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...ght=Steve+Keen
from the Times Online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle2570496.ece
Friends Reunited romance led to lover’s fatal stabbing
Simon de Bruxelles
An RAF officer who resumed his relationship with his childhood sweetheart after 35 years was stabbed to death by her jealous husband, a court was told.
Flight Lieutenant Stephen Keen and Susan Matta fell in love after contacting each other via the Friends Reunited internet site. They left their spouses but, within eight days of setting up home together in Tiverton, Devon, Mr Keen was dead.
Mrs Matta told Exeter Crown Court that she had been living with her Italian husband, Franco, in Sardinia when she made contact with Mr Keen. The couple had had a three-year relationship as teenagers, which ended when Mr Keen joined the RAF. Both were in their fifties when they met again.
Mrs Matta said that she had left her husband after Mr Keen told her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. They agreed to live together despite not having seen each other since they were classmates at grammar school in Devon. But Mr Matta, a chef who lived in England for 30 years before moving to Sardinia in 2003, tracked them down within a week of their setting up a home in Tiverton.
Mrs Matta, 53, said that her husband demanded €50,000 (£34,840) to call off a Mafia hitman he claimed to have hired to kill Mr Keen. Her new partner told him that he refused to be intimidated. She added: “Franco said Steve would spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder. Steve said he would not live in fear and that he had enjoyed a good life and if it was to end now, so be it. He was not intimidated.
“He said he was going to the police and Franco got up and said, ‘No, you can’t do that’ and went towards him. Franco said his own life was over and if Steve were killed I would feel the same as he did and suffer as he was suffering.
“I thought there would be a sort of scuffle at the most then I heard Steve say, ‘Sue, he’s got a knife’.”
She tried to pull her husband away and then left the room to dial 999.
When she came back, blood was gushing from Mr Keen’s neck. She said: “I held Steve and applied a towel to try to staunch the bleeding. There was blood four foot up the walls and on the sofa and the carpet. Blood was pumping out of the right-hand side of Steve’s neck. Franco was so covered in blood all I could see were his eyes. It was like the worst horror movie you could ever imagine.”
Martin Meeke, QC, for the prosecution, said that as Mr Matta made his way from Sardinia to England via Milan, Locarno and Paris in a hired van, he had sent his estranged wife a postcard. It said: “I cannot stop thinking of you. You are the blood in my veins.” He said that the killing had been carefully planned and that Mr Matta had brought with him from Sardinia a knife, a can of petrol, rope, tape and a pickaxe handle.
Mr Matta denies murder. He admits killing Mr Keen but says that he was suffering from severe depression and should be found guilty of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
Mr Meeke said: “It was not depression but revenge which drove this man to the cold-blooded killing of the man for whom his wife had left him.”
The trial continues.
On the BBC too
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7022409.stm
mit photo
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...ght=Steve+Keen
from the Times Online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle2570496.ece
Friends Reunited romance led to lover’s fatal stabbing
Simon de Bruxelles
An RAF officer who resumed his relationship with his childhood sweetheart after 35 years was stabbed to death by her jealous husband, a court was told.
Flight Lieutenant Stephen Keen and Susan Matta fell in love after contacting each other via the Friends Reunited internet site. They left their spouses but, within eight days of setting up home together in Tiverton, Devon, Mr Keen was dead.
Mrs Matta told Exeter Crown Court that she had been living with her Italian husband, Franco, in Sardinia when she made contact with Mr Keen. The couple had had a three-year relationship as teenagers, which ended when Mr Keen joined the RAF. Both were in their fifties when they met again.
Mrs Matta said that she had left her husband after Mr Keen told her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. They agreed to live together despite not having seen each other since they were classmates at grammar school in Devon. But Mr Matta, a chef who lived in England for 30 years before moving to Sardinia in 2003, tracked them down within a week of their setting up a home in Tiverton.
Mrs Matta, 53, said that her husband demanded €50,000 (£34,840) to call off a Mafia hitman he claimed to have hired to kill Mr Keen. Her new partner told him that he refused to be intimidated. She added: “Franco said Steve would spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder. Steve said he would not live in fear and that he had enjoyed a good life and if it was to end now, so be it. He was not intimidated.
“He said he was going to the police and Franco got up and said, ‘No, you can’t do that’ and went towards him. Franco said his own life was over and if Steve were killed I would feel the same as he did and suffer as he was suffering.
“I thought there would be a sort of scuffle at the most then I heard Steve say, ‘Sue, he’s got a knife’.”
She tried to pull her husband away and then left the room to dial 999.
When she came back, blood was gushing from Mr Keen’s neck. She said: “I held Steve and applied a towel to try to staunch the bleeding. There was blood four foot up the walls and on the sofa and the carpet. Blood was pumping out of the right-hand side of Steve’s neck. Franco was so covered in blood all I could see were his eyes. It was like the worst horror movie you could ever imagine.”
Martin Meeke, QC, for the prosecution, said that as Mr Matta made his way from Sardinia to England via Milan, Locarno and Paris in a hired van, he had sent his estranged wife a postcard. It said: “I cannot stop thinking of you. You are the blood in my veins.” He said that the killing had been carefully planned and that Mr Matta had brought with him from Sardinia a knife, a can of petrol, rope, tape and a pickaxe handle.
Mr Matta denies murder. He admits killing Mr Keen but says that he was suffering from severe depression and should be found guilty of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
Mr Meeke said: “It was not depression but revenge which drove this man to the cold-blooded killing of the man for whom his wife had left him.”
The trial continues.
On the BBC too
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7022409.stm
mit photo
Last edited by SirPeterHardingsLovechild; 2nd Oct 2007 at 17:54.
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 737
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The trial continues
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7026561.stm
Day 4
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7028569.stm
And more...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7036491.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7026561.stm
Day 4
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7028569.stm
And more...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7036491.stm
Last edited by SirPeterHardingsLovechild; 10th Oct 2007 at 11:15.