Nephew took uncle’s corpse to post office as he ‘didn’t know he was dead’

But he insisted he’s “not an eejit” – and believes he’s being accused of criminality because he previously stole from his aunt.

“I’m 40 years of age yeah, I’m not a child, I’m not a young fella,” Declan said today.

“I’m not an eejit to walk into Hoseys (the post office) with a dead man and collect his money. Am I cuckoo? Am I cuckoo? I’m not.

“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.”

Declan, who told the Irish Mirror he used to have a drug problem and who served two years in prison, has a black eye and facial injuries after allegedly being attacked following the incident last Friday.

He continued: “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.

“Why would I try to rob my uncle’s money when I’m living in the house with him and we’re sharing the bills?”

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.

Declan and the other man got Peadar into the post office, where he claims his uncle just “dropped” to the ground and he then realised he was dead.

The man added: “So we linked him from here to there. He was walking like normal and then I reckon he died.

“This is no word of a lie, he started dragging his heels from you see the yellow sign that’s there? But we didn’t even think of it as anything. We were grand like then all of a sudden he started going all slumpy.

“We thought nothing of it because Peadar had had heart attacks and all.

“We got in as far as the queue. We were holding him and when we got to the queue we let him go and he just dropped. He just dropped there and then.

“He’s my uncle. The man who reared me. I’m shellshocked. My heart is torn in two.”

Declan gave a voluntary statement to the police and has not been arrested.