A man from Ireland who tried to claim his pension by bringing his uncle’s corpse to the post office, was pictured with his coffin at his funeral.
Declan Haughney, 40, was one of the pallbearers at the Church of the Holy Family in Carlow, Ireland, on Monday as 66-year-old Peader Doyle was laid to rest.
The funeral was held three days after Haughney and friend Gareth Coakley fled from a post office in the same town after turning up with Peader’s body carried between them – claiming they did not realise he had died.
Haughney was seen with a black eye in the funeral service. This revealed that he had been beaten up and accused by some of his fellow locals of being a “murderer”.
Declan Haughney, 40, was a pallbearer at uncle Peader Doyle’s funeral on Monday, three days after carrying his lifeless body into a post office in an attempt to claim his pension
Haughney claimed that he didn’t know Mr Doyle was dead when he brought his body to Carlow. However, police suspect that he could have been unconscious for up to three hours.
Weekend at Bernie actor jokes about post office stunt and the movie
Weekend at Bernie’s star has joked that the stunt at the post office was likened to the black comedy of 1989.
Andrew McCarthy – who played insurer Larry Wilson in the movie – tweeted Saturday that he is ‘not responsible’ as the incident made headlines around the world.
‘Just because I’m in Ireland doesn’t mean I had anything to do with this,’ he tweeted, along with the hash-tag ‘weekendatbernies’.
The film follows the escapades of McCarthy’s character Wilson and his colleague Richard Parker – played by Jonathan Silverman – who are invited to boss Bernie Lomax’s house in the Hamptons for a Labour Day party, only to find him dead when they arrive.
The pair then decides to keep the illusion alive that he is still breathing so other guests don’t notice.
He denies the charge, and post mortem examinations have revealed no sings of foul play on Mr Doyle’s body.
Haughney spoke to Irish Daily Mail and stated that he was interviewed by the gardi, who continue their investigation but have not yet filed charges.
He says that he was cleared of any charges and is confident no criminal charges will be filed against him.
He also insists on his claim that he didn’t know Mr Doyle died when he brought his body to the Post Office.
‘Peader was so frail and only weighed about six or seven stone so whenever he went out I would have to hold him up,’ he said.
‘Looking back at what happened, I think he died at the bridge because his legs suddenly went limp, but myself and Gareth had no idea he passed away because this has happened a number of times before.’
Haughney said that he has been targeted by locals. His family advised him to stay calm and wait for his anger to subside. He refuses to say so, claiming that he doesn’t have anything to hide.
‘I’m being roared at on the streets by people shouting “murderer” at me,’ he said.
‘I’ve also been jumped by local scumbags who beat me up because of what they’ve read. My auntie has advised that I keep a low profile, but I told her I won’t because I’m not a murderer.
‘I’ll hold my head up and walk up and down Carlow all day long. People can talk all they want, but at the end of the day I’ve been clean from heroin for nearly three years and have served my time in prison.’
Haughney and his friend had arrived at the post office on Friday afternoon looking to claim Mr Doyle’s pension – but were refused because he was not with them.
Shortly after, it is reported that the two returned to Mr Doyle’s house with his body in their arms and his jumper over his head.
According to some workers, Doyle’s condition was questioned by concerned employees. At that point Doyle is believed to have been lying on the ground and stated that he had suffered a heart attack.
According to police, Mr Doyle could have been dead up to 3 hours before the incident occurred.
Haughney claimed that he’d been victim to abuse by locals after being called a “murderer” and now has a black eye because he’s been beat up by’scumbags”.
Haughney and Coakley are then said to have fled the scene, though Haughney denies this and says he left to contact relatives before returning.
He claimed that he hadn’t seen his friend in a while and guessed that he is hiding out for reprisal attack.
‘Peader helped to raise me; we were like brothers,’ Haughney added.
‘You would want to be one bad b*****d to drag your uncle out of bed when he had already died.’
‘Hopefully when people read my side of the story and see how I have the support of my family they’ll start to see things differently.’
His funeral took place on Monday. Mr Doyle will be remembered as a skilled decorator who was also devoted to his family and made sure to show support to those he loved the most.
Charmaine Dowling, Mr Doyle’s niece, told the church how he had treated all his nephews and nieces like his own children.
She said: ‘You ran to him if you wanted to cry. And soon you would be dancing around the kitchen table.’
She recalled that he would take her feed his racing pigeons and would hum songs from Perry Como and Dean Martin while he would sing lullabies like Gilbert O’Sullivan’s Clare – the singer being his favourite artist.
Ms Dowling recalls her uncle Peader as a cook, waiter, and a skilled painter. He would quote Shakespeare often.
She referred to Peader’s love of travel which had included road trips in the US.
On the death of his own father, he had minded his mother Annie ‘with unrivalled affection’.
He was a quiet man, dignified in public but ‘in private he was a hero’, who would not seek recognition for caring for his family, which was most important to him.
Ms Dowling stated: ‘His greatness was not known to many people but (was) to his family and closest friends.’
She concluded her tribute by saying that Peader’s family will carry his memory with them with pride.