Declan Haughney who dragged uncle’s lifeless body to Post Office says ‘country is talking about me’ as he returns to scene

EXCLUSIVE: The pictures come as a bizarre four minute video has emerged on social media of Haughney and a man wearing balaclava

A man who dragged his uncle’s “lifeless” body into a post office to try and take his pension has claimed “the whole country is talking about me.”

Declan Haughney, who walked free from prison last week, was spotted walking past Hoseys Post Office on the Staplestown Road in Carlow – the same place he previously dragged his uncle Peadar Doyle in to claim his pension.

We snapped Haughney walking past the very scene of the crime this week – where his uncle Peadar was tragically declared dead after he and his co-accused Gareth Coakley dropped him to the ground and tried to blame Post Office staff.

Just two weeks ago Haughney was sentenced to two years and six months suspended for attempted deception – but he walked free after just one week due to the fact that he spent a year and a half in prison on remand – as well as standard remission.

Our pictures show him back on the streets of Carlow, wandering past the post office and going in and out of a local pub and a chipper this week.

The pictures come as a bizarre four minute video has emerged on social media of Haughney and a man wearing balaclava.

In the video Haughney claims “the whole country is talking about me” as he declares that he’s just out of prison.

“Here boys it’s like this yeah, you’s are all hard fellas, all mouthpieces,” Haughney says to the camera.

“I’m after doing two years…the whole country talking about me carrying around dead bodies and all yeah.

He also goes on a bizarre rant in which he claims people are calling him a “serial killer” without any proof.

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Meanwhile some locals have told this paper how they don’t want Haughney in their town – and are horrified that he’s back.

“We don’t want him here. What he did to Peadar was awful and so many people can’t believe he’s out of prison already and walking the streets,” one woman who asked not to be named said.

“He thinks of himself like a celebrity now. He’s wandering the streets of Carlow and stopping to talk to anyone who will listen to him,” another said.

Haughney (41), who has has 55 previous convictions, was on bail for a theft offence when he and his pal Gareth Coakley dragged his uncle Peadar Doyle to Hoseys Post Office on the Staplestown Road in Carlow in a brazen attempt to claim his weekly pension of E246 on the morning of January 21 last year.

Haughney’s uncle Peadar (66), who lived with his nephew on Pollerton Road, was declared dead in the post office – with shocking CCTV being played in court showing the pair dragging him along the street and into the post office in front of shocked onlookers.

The court would also hear evidence of how the eyewitness who ultimately dialled 999 stated she believed that Mr Doyle was dead before even making it to the post office – after she saw his “lifeless” body being dragged on the street by Haughney and Coakley and having seen his “fixed eyes” and “grey face.”

But when she confronted the pair on the street Haughney claimed “he’s grand” while Coakley lied and said they had called an ambulance for him.

Carlow Circuit Court heard how the shocking crime had created headlines all over the world – a fact acknowledged by presiding Judge Eugene O’Kelly last Friday.

The court would hear how Haughney and Coakley blatantly lied in claiming they had called an ambulance for Mr Doyle – and how Haughney became “aggressive” towards post office staff and even tried to falsely blame them for his uncle’s death.

It would also hear how this wasn’t even the first time Haughney had committed deception – having previously nicked his uncle’s social welfare payment while he was in hospital in 2016.

During sentencing the pair apologised for their actions with Mr Haughney, who the court heard had a “long standing addiction to heroin” saying he was “sorry for the pain I’ve caused,” and Mr Coakley saying he “wasn’t in the right mind” at the time.

In summing up his judgement Mr Justice Eugene O’Kelly said the pair had a “callous disregard for the dignity and welfare of a dying man,” in that they “refused an offer” for a call to help and “literally abandoned him on the floor of the post office.”

“They were the ones who removed him from his home. He may have died peacefully in his bed” had he not been removed from his home he said.

The Judge said Mr Doyle’s death generated “extraordinary public interest” which made the events of that morning even more traumatic and upsetting for his family.

In a victim impact statement Peadar Doyle’s sister Noeleen Dowling – an aunt of Mr Haughney, had said the family were left hurt by Declan’s failure to raise the alarm sooner – and said that he had been “reduced to a macabre spectacle and his dignity was taken away from him.”

“No person should have to die in those circumstances,” the judge said.

Haughney and Coakley were due to go on trial but pleaded guilty at the eleventh hour – sparing a case that had 32 witnesses.

The court heard how an “agitated” Haughney tried to falsely blame post office staff for his uncle being dead – when he dropped him to the ground after they refused to give him the €246 euro pension payment.

He had just minutes earlier attempted to claim the payment on his own – but post office staff told him his uncle needed to be present – and he left and subsequently returned with his lifeless body.

“He’s dead now and it’s your fault. If you had paid me he wouldn’t be here,” he told the shocked post office teller.

The court was also shown a horrifying image of a deceased Peadar Doyle lying on the ground of the post office shortly after he was officially declared dead.

Shocking CCTV footage was shown in court of Haughney and Coakley dragging what was described by a witness as a lifeless and “grey coloured” Mr Doyle along the street and into the post office.

Mr Doyle’s legs are clearly seen dangling against the ground as the two men carry him under their arms and drag him to the front counter.

The footage shows stunned members of the public gathering and expressing concern – with one woman on the phone to emergency services as the pair skip the queue and drag Mr Doyle to the front counter where they demand the elderly man’s pension be handed over.

Giving an overview of the evidence in the case, Garda Joe O’Keeffe of Carlow Garda Station said he received a call at 11:15am on the radio reporting that a man was being “dragged along Bridge Street” into Hosey’s Post Office on the Staplestown Road.

While on route he said he received a subsequent call that this male “may have had a heart attack” and therefore he grabbed a defibrillator and went to the scene.

The court heard that Gda O’Keeffe arrived at the Post Office at 11:25am where he discovered a woman named Claire Knight was performing CPR on an elderly man who was lying on the ground.

Garda O’Keeffe told the court that his initial observation of Mr Doyle was that he was “grey coloured” and “lifeless” and when he checked for a pulse he couldn’t detect any evidence that he was breathing.

He then spoke to Ms Knight who told him she was driving down Pollerton Road when she saw two men dragging Mr Doyle and she “knew something wasn’t right.”

The court heard that when Ms Knight saw the elderly man’s face “she said she thought he was dead.”

Ms Knight pulled over and asked the men “Is he alright lads” to which Mr Haughney told her “no he’s grand, he’s fine” and Mr Coakley informed her that they had already called an ambulance.

The court heard that in fact, no ambulance had been called by either man – and out of concern, Ms Knight rang 999 and asked for gardai and an ambulance herself.

Ms Knight said that Mr Doyle’s eyes were “fixed” and his face was grey – and she followed the pair to Hoseys.

Post office teller Margaret O’Toole told gardai that when Mr Doyle was presented to the window he “never moved” – as Haughney told her “he’s here now to collect his pension.”

It appeared he was being carried and pushed up, the court heard.

“It all kicked off then when Mr Haugney said “he’s dead, he’s dead,” and began to falsely blame Ms O’Toole for it.

Ms O’Toole told gardai she was in a state of shock – and in a subsequent victim impact statement said what had happened that day would remain with her for the rest of her life.

CCTV showed the pair dragging Mr Doyle, carrying him under their arms right up to the front desk as shocked onlookers moved out of the way.

CCTV footage shown in court depicted Haughney, dressed in a black coat and black tracksuit bottoms, walking up to the post office counter alone and placing the reverse side of an out-of-date social identity card with the PPS number on it against the window at 11:04am.

Haughney was told by Ms O’Toole that the card belonged to Peadar Doyle, and that he was not a named agent who was entitled to collect the pension on his behalf.

Gda O’Keeffe told the court that it was at this point that Haugney “got very aggressive with the staff” and told them that Peadar was at home and unwell and that they had called an ambulance for him.

Haugney would subsequently return to the post office with Coakley – both carrying a slumped over Peadar at 11:13am.

The court heard how they had Peadar in a hold with “one under each arm” and that Ms O’Toole described the pensioner as being “lifeless” when she saw him.

Gda O’Keefe was asked to confirm that at this point the people in the shop were in a state of shock.

“To say the least, yes,” he said.