RIP Paul O'Brien

I have just followed up my previous post about the body found at Lazy Otter.

It turns out that he was Paul O'Brien, a 42 year old, ex-soldier. He went missing last October and, following a number of calls to the Police, was only found recently when the van was removed by a Council's contractor.

The owner of the Lazy Otter pub did all she could to find the owner of the van and made a number of calls to the Police for help. Her call to the local Council led to the discovery.

Some people are taking the opportunity to criticise the Police for not investigating and especially for 'not joining up the dots' when the man was reported missing. Some of that criticism may be justified and no doubt lessons will be learnt - until the next time perhaps.

However, what's most important is not to lose sight of what this poor bloke must have gone through. In the Press we're told he served in Northern Ireland twice and in the first Gulf War. He even carried the body of a dead comrade 5 miles when a helicopter failed to turn up.

I really don't know anything much else about his life, what he must have gone through during his military service or the circumstances that led to him ending up in the back of a van at Lazy Otter. I just hope he is now resting in peace and his family is able to cope. It may help them to know people are thinking about him.