THE sister of a Suffolk journalist murdered in Somalia is bringing a one-woman play about the aftermath of her death to the Theatre Royal.

Kate Peyton, 39, was shot outside a hotel in Mogadishu in February 2005.

A former pupil at Culford School, Kate had grown up in the village of Beyton, just outside Bury St Edmunds, where her mother still lives.

But six years after her death, Kate’s sister Rebecca, 38, is bringing a poignant play about her sister’s murder, her family’s grief and her life since the tragedy to the playhouse next month.

Called Sometimes I laugh Like My Sister, the performance is both comical and painfully personal.

“Within days of Kate’s death, I knew I wanted to do something about it,” she said. “It just seemed a natural thing to do.

“Kate was all I could think about for so long.

“It was a huge loss. We were phenomenally close.

“It is still very difficult to believe she’s dead.”

Kate had been standing outside the Sahafi Hotel in Mogadishu when a single shot was fired and hit her in her back on February 9, 2005.

She was taken to hospital but died from internal bleeding.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral was filled with more than 500 mourners in March 2005 as friends, family and colleagues gathered to pay their respects to the journalist.

“I miss her terribly,” Rebecca said. “It is a huge loss.

“Kate was somebody who loved to travel the world but always loved coming home.

“Her death changed my life but you either stop or you carry on.

“Making the show was very hard without her as she was always so supportive.

“But I think there should be a place for people to talk about things like this.

“Death is one of the things our society is scared to talk about.”

Raised with Kate and their brother, Charles, in Beyton, Rebecca said she would often visit the Theatre Royal with her mother, Angela, who still lives in the village.

“I love the Theatre Royal,” Rebecca said. “It was a place I often went to as a child.

“People in Beyton and Bury were incredible after Kate’s death. Everyone was great and so supportive.

“It is very exciting to come home.”

After the performance, Rebecca will be in conversation with close friend Chris Addison, a panellist on the television show Have I Got News for You.

Having already proved a hit at the Edinburgh Festival, the show on Saturday, April 30 is already selling well.

Tickets are available from the box office on 01284 769505, priced �21 to �8.