Murdered dad 'should have been watching the Dubs', mourners told

Mr O’Neill’s partner, Susanne, is comforted at his funeral in Crumlin Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin.

Conor Feehan

An innocent father-of-three shot dead on holiday in Spain was a hard-working family man who should have been in Croke Park on Sunday, his funeral heard.

Trevor O'Neill (41) was remembered as a proud Dubs supporter who had been looking forward to seeing his team play Kerry last weekend.

There were agonising scenes in Crumlin as Mr O'Neill, who was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity while on holiday with his family in Majorca, was laid to rest.

His heartbroken partner, Susanne, and three young children wept as they were comforted by family, friends and neighbours who had gathered for his requiem mass.

Warned

Mr O'Neill, from Drimnagh, was murdered in what gardai believe was a botched attempt on the life of Jonathan Hutch (37), the older brother of feud murder victim Gareth, who was shot dead in Dublin's north inner city in May.

Jonathan Hutch had been warned by gardai that his life was in danger and fled Ireland.

He was hiding out in the same complex where Mr O'Neill and his family were staying.

Jonathan Hutch is not a criminal, and gardai believe he was targeted solely because of his family connections.

Mr O'Neill's partner was wheeling one of their children in a pushchair when he was gunned down in Costa de la Calma, close to Santa Ponsa, after they had innocently been in the company of Mr Hutch.

In St Bernadette's Church in Crumlin before yesterday's funeral mass began, symbols of Dublin City Council worker Mr O'Neill's life were delivered to the altar by members of his family.

They included a pair of sunglasses and a cap; his bodhran and CDs; betting dockets; a Dublin flag and a Liverpool jersey; the medication he took for a hip he was due to have replaced; a Dublin City Council jacket and the "Inspector On Call" badge that mourners were told he used to park free.

The youngest of his and Susanne's children, aged just five, clutched his comfort blanket close to him.

Parish priest Fr Melvyn Mullins said that while accidents can happen, what happened to Mr O'Neill on August 17 was no accident.

"The truth is, Trevor was murdered - shot while on holidays," he said.

"Tragic events have been recorded with expressions like 'mistaken identity' or 'the wrong person being in the wrong place at the wrong time', but this is of no comfort to the family. They are empty expressions that do not matter. Trevor was murdered. It is wrong. It is just not right, and it can never be called right."