The funeral of a man who helped cover up the murder of his wife has heard of the "need for forgiveness".
Augustine (Gus) O’Connor (78), who served 18 months in prison for his role covering up the killing of his wife Patricia, died on January 7 after an illness - with his funeral taking place at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook in Dublin on Wednesday.
A small crowd of relatives and friends, including Gus’s son Richard, were in attendance at the service on Wednesday, as gifts remembering his “sporting prowess” and “aspects of his social life” were placed at the altar.
Symbols representing his “enthusiasm for bingo”, his cap, his darts and a photo of his dog were among the items brought up. Playing cards, meanwhile, represented his social life, while a cross and a copy of the book of scriptures represented the “significance of faith” in his life.
The funeral mass also heard how Gus had “areas of weakness”, as the priest presiding over the ceremony called for forgiveness.
“While we recognise that Gus had areas of weakness in his life we also recognise that each and every one of us has areas of weakness for which we need the forgiveness of God and the forgiveness of one another and for that forgiveness we now pray,” he said.
Patricia O’Connor was brutally murdered by Kieran Greene, a boyfriend of her daughter Louise, in a horrific crime which shocked the country when it emerged that several family members, including her husband Gus, were involved in covering it up in May 2017.
Gus was jailed after he admitted reporting his dismembered wife Patricia missing to gardai when he already knew she was dead.
