A FUNERAL director wrongly accused of doing a burnout in his hearse at the Warrnambool cemetery is still paying the price a year after being cleared by police.
Mick O’Sullivan’s confidence is shattered and he now works in northern Victoria to avoid painful criticism or jokes that still haunt him.
Mr O’Sullivan said life was ticking along nicely until a few moments of mayhem by hoon drivers in November 2010 thrust him into headlines in media outlets, including The Standard, after police indicated he was part of their investigations. About 20 drivers were questioned by police after bizarre tyre-burning tributes at the funeral of a young road accident victim. Many of the drivers have since been charged and convicted.
The first Mr O’Sullivan knew of the accusation was when a Melbourne radio breakfast show compere rang for a live interview with his parents John and Kath.
“Accusations were based on lies but unfortunately, like mud, it sticks,” the 46-year-old said.
“I’ve been hung out to dry and copped heaps on the streets from people who came up to me and gave me a spray. “The tamest I got called was the hearse driver from hell.
“It snowballed on an on. Unfortunately I was made to look like the villain.
“I don’t need forgiveness because I haven’t done anything wrong, I just want to be accepted again.”
Despite being officially let off the hook six weeks later when police said there was no case, the O’Sullivan’s business reputation took a hammering from which it is only just starting to recover.
“Business income dropped $80,000 last financial year,” he explained.
“I lost the independence in working in my own business and took a job in the mining industry where work is in 12-hour shifts away from home.
“Since the accusations I have not worked in the funeral industry in Warrnambool except to help the families of two friends.
“I’ve lost my confidence and feel people are still judging me.
“But this business isn’t going away. I’m like a pitbull terrier, I won’t let it go. I want to move on and get back into working in the funeral business of which I am a partner.
“The ordeal has taken its toll on dad, who recently suffered a stroke, and put unnecessary pressure on mum.”
Mr O’Sullivan was critical of police for releasing details of investigations to the media before information was confirmed and checked with reliable witnesses who had been at the cemetery.
“I was interviewed at midnight, video’d and had my fingerprints taken all on a false accusation,” he said.
Mr O’Sullivan said he was still a Justice of the Peace and the only charge against his name was for having a noisy car when he was 18.
“I may be a larrikin, but I’m not an idiot,” he said.
“I don’t condone what those drivers did. The only place for that sort of stuff is in a proper controlled environment.
“I remember clearly that day of the funeral. Just after the coffin was lowered into the grave I walked over to the hearse for the memorial book for people to sign.
“Then I looked around as a kid came smokin’ past the hearse and a limousine.
“Others followed so I and the limousine driver shifted our vehicles down to the front of the cemetery house to avoid damage.
“We actually rang the police and said ‘you’d better come over here quickly’.
“There has been a verification done on the hearse to prove there wasn’t a burnout done in it.
“A false accusation is a false accusation.
“It’s something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.”
Email a friend