A retired Irish Augustinian priest who risked his life this week to stop an alleged thief being burnt to death by a raging mob in Ecuador is been hailed as a hero in the town of Flavio Alfaro. Fr Paul O’Connor (74) stepped in front of the baying crowd after they had badly beaten the terrified man and were about to put a burning tyre around his neck.
The Wexford-born priest, who has worked in Ecuador for 30 years, desperately held on to the victim after he had been abandoned by a local police officer.
When police heard what the priest was doing, they rushed back and eventually took the blood-soaked victim to prison. Fr O’Connor made his move after a robbery in the town went wrong.
A pharmacist and his son were held up for their weekend takings after shutting up shop.
Someone opened fire on the thieves as they got away and the local man was accused of the crime. According to reports, some locals were intent on burning him alive so some parishioners ran for the priest.
Speaking this week a modest Fr O’Connor said: “A similar incident happened a couple of months ago so I knew the fate the man was going to suffer. When the occasion arose there was no decision to be made. I just did my best until the police arrived and took the man into custody.”
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