A man who took his uncle's corpse to the Post Office to collect his pension claims that he "didn't know he was dead" at the time.
Declan Haughney insists that he was not trying to rob his deceased relative Peadar Doyle, 66, after he and another man dragged him for around five minutes from his home to collect his pension from a Post Office branch on January 21.
The 40-year-old claimed that he is now "the talk of the town" and has been branded as a "murderer" in the community of Carlow, Ireland, ever since the story emerged, as reported by The Mirror.
However, he insisted he's "not an eejit" and believes that he is being accused of dragging his dead uncle into a Post Office to rob his pension due to him previously stealing from his aunt.
He said: “Why would I want to rob my uncle? I’m 40 years of age yeah, I’m not a child, I’m not a young fella.
"I’m not an eejit to walk into Hoseys with a dead man and collect his money. Am I cuckoo? Am I cuckoo? I’m not.”
Declan, who admits he used to have a drug problem, and who served two years in prison, says he’s now being accused of knowingly bringing his dead uncle in to get his pension – because of his past.
He told us: “That’s why they’re saying it, that’s why this is all coming up now – because I done it before.
"A bank card came through the aunt’s door and I got the pin code and went down for fraud and that’s why this is all coming up.
"People know about that in the town you know. But that was 15 years ago. I’m off the gear three years and I’m doing well."
And Declan, who has a black eye and facial injuries after allegedly being attacked following the incident last Friday, revealed that he now believes his uncle was dead before he even reached the post office.
Declan says he believes Peadar may have been dead by the time he and another male got him under the bridge at Pollerton Road, which is less than a two-minute walk from his home – but the pair continued to bring him to the post office by linking arms with him and dragging him there.
When the pair propped Mr Doyle up against the counter a member of staff contacted the Irish gardai.
Both men, one of whom is said to have known Doyle ‘very well’, have since made full statements to the police investigating the incident from Friday, Daily Record reports.
Officers believe he may have died around three hours before his impromptu trip to Hosey’s newsagents and post office in Carlow with the men, despite the claims that he was alive.
Fr John Dunphy, the priest who delivered the last rites to Mt Doyle, said he received a call from police saying his remains had been left at the shop in ‘shocking circumstances.’
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