Two men have been jailed for the attempted deception of a post office worker when trying to claim a pension from a dead man.
Declan Haughney (41), of 119 Pollerton Road, Carlow, a nephew of the deceased man Peadar Doyle (66), and Gareth Coakley (38), of 44 John Sweeney Park in Carlow, pleaded guilty to the attempted deception of Margaret O’Toole at Hosey’s post office on Staplestown Road, Carlow on January 21st, 2022.
Handing down his sentence at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Eugene O’Kelly sentenced Haughney to two-and-a-half years with the final six months suspended for one year. Coakley was handed a two-year sentence with the final six months suspended.
Judge O’Kelly said that while considering his judgement he took into account the "distasteful and macabre" scene in the post office on the day in question.
The judge pointed out that a post-mortem could not ascertain the exact time of Mr Doyle’s death and that there was no evidence of foul play.
CCTV footage
The court was shown CCTV footage from multiple cameras placed at various angles from inside the post office and from New Oak Community Centre.
Members of the family who were in court for the sentencing left while the video footage was being shown.
A montage of footage showed Haughney entering the post office shortly at 10.59am on the day of the incident.
Dressed in a black hoodie with red and white stripes, black trousers and black runners, Haughney used his uncle’s social welfare card which was out of date in an attempt to collect Mr Doyle’s money.
In evidence Garda Joe O’Keeffe said that Haughney told Ms O’Toole that his uncle was "unwell and that he had asked him to collect his money and that he had called an ambulance".
However, Ms O’Toole said the card was expired and that Haughney was not a "named agent" allowed to collect monies on Mr Doyle’s behalf.
She then told Haughney that she could not give him the money. Mr Doyle’s sister Noeleen Dowling was the only other person besides Mr Doyle who could collect his €246 pension.
The court was informed that Haughney then became "very aggressive" towards the post office staff saying his uncle was "at home, very unwell and that he would have to go and bring him down".
In evidence the court heard that Haughney blamed Ms O’Toole for his uncle collapsing saying: "If you paid me, he wouldn’t be here," while pointing a finger at her.
He left the post office and returned at 11.14am with Coakley and Mr Doyle whom they were carrying with their arms around him.
CCTV footage obtained by gardaí from outside the post office showed that Mr Doyle was being dragged along the footpath.
While Haughney and Coakley were accompanying Mr Doyle to the post office they were observed by witness Claire Knight, who was driving into Carlow.
'He's grand'
In her witness statement which was read out to the court by Gda O’Keeffe she said she saw the men close to Mr Doyle’s home and thought that there might be something wrong with him as she “observed” him being dragged along by two other men.
She continuously watched them in her rearview car mirror and decided to turn her car around and go back to the three men. She did not get out of her car and said to Haughney and Coakley, "Is he alright lads?"
Haughney answered "He’s fine, he’s grand," while Coakley added that he had "called for an ambulance". However, Ms Knight decided to call 999 and ask for an ambulance herself.
The court heard that at this time Mr Doyle’s eyes were fixed, and his face was grey and that in fact "no ambulance had been called" by either of the two accused. Ms Knight, although having no medical training she formed the opinion that Mr Doyle was already dead.
She then followed the three men into the post office as they jumped the queue and went to the post office clerk’s window. Haughney, the court heard, he said to Ms O’Toole, "He’s here now to collect [his money]" and pushed him against the partition in front of Ms O’Toole.
However, she could not see his face as it was obscured by a grey hat he was wearing along with a grey jersey top.
Prosecution counsel Niall Storan said at this point Haughney shouted: "He’s dead, he’s dead. She [Ms O’Toole] wouldn’t pay. It was her fault. If you paid me he wouldn’t be here."
Ms Knight along with other customers in the post office reacted in a shocked manner. From the CCTV Ms Knight could be seen to be on her mobile phone to emergency services as Haughney and Coakley placed a motionless Mr Doyle sitting on the floor and then into the recovery position.
Another employee Ashling Muldowney could be seen running upstairs to get a chair for Mr Doyle to sit on.
CPR was then performed by Ms Knight under guidance from the National Ambulance Service (NAS) when a defibrillator located in the post office was found to be flat.
Gda O’Keeffe said that he received a phone call at 11.15am that a man had been seen being “dragged” along Bridge Street. In a subsequent phone call shortly after he was told that the man seen being dragged may have had a heart attack and to bring a defibrillator.
He took over CPR from Ms Knight, followed by two firemen and then by an advanced paramedic, but following advice by phone from Cork University Hospital they ceased attempted resuscitation at 11.40am.
Mr Doyle was declared officially deceased at 12.40pm by a GP and later removed from the post office.
Gda O’Keeffe explained that Haughney lived with his uncle from a young age as his mother had died, and he had no relationship with his father. Gda O’Keeffe said his relationship with his uncle was "not the best at times."
'Traumatic and upsetting'
In a victim impact report read out to the court by Gda O'Keeffe, Ms O’Toole said that she had worked at Hosey’s post office for over 16 years and had "always enjoyed my work."
"But everything changed [that day]. It was traumatic and upsetting."
A victim impact report from Mr Doyle’s family was read out to the court. The report said the family wanted to express their "gratitude to the court for allowing them to speak".
"Our family has been badly affected, and the media outlets caused most of the damage. This story sent shock waves around the world and has devastated our family."
The family said what occurred on the day and subsequently had "been a traumatic battle" for them, that they had been put through "the court of public opinion and not been able to leave their homes and have been threatened by people, received hate mail and remain deeply hurt and that their pain will never leave them."
In particular Mr Doyle’s sister Mrs Dowling explained: "My brother has been ridiculed," that her life is not her own anymore, that she cannot sleep, suffers flashbacks and her sanctuary violated.
"Peadar was a caring loving, brother, a charismatic character, he loved us so much. He loved his nieces and nephews unfathomably," Mrs Dowling added in the report.
The court was informed that Haughney had a serious heroin addiction and had 55 previous convictions while Coakley had 49 previous convictions, was a serious heroin, cannabis and alcohol addict and is a father of two.
Defence barrister David Roberts read out two letters of apology to the court from Haughney, one addressed to his uncle’s family and in particular to his aunt and sister of Mrs Dowling and one to post office clerk Margaret O’Toole.
The letter of apology to Haughney’s aunt said that he "deeply regrets and is deeply remorseful and is deeply sorry that he didn’t raise the alarm along with his actions on the day."
To Ms O’Toole he said in his letter that he was sorry he "traumatised and upset" her and that he hoped she would "work well into the future".
Mr Roberts pointed out that Haughney is a "loved member of his family and is supported by them." He informed the court that Haughney had remained in prison serving another sentence but opted to remain there despite having consent to bail.
Richard Downey BL for Coakley said his client and Haughney "would be inextricably linked to these tragic circumstances" and that Coakley "wasn’t in his right mind on the day".
Both men co-operated with gardaí at all times when giving voluntary statements in the hours after Mr Doyle’s death, the court was told by Gda O’Keeffe. They were formally arrested on January 26th, 2022.
