Irish man, 38, shot dead as fiancée's father is charged with murder

A mother-of-four has revealed her heartache after her own father was charged with the murder of her fiancé. Linda Simon’s partner Damien Conlon, 38, was shot dead in Oberon in New South Wales, Australia, on 9 February while the family was on holiday. Linda’s father, army veteran Luke Simon, 57, was arrested at the scene and has been charged with murder.

The grieving fiancée, who was due to wed Damien (pictured right) in November this year, is now planning on flying his ashes back home to Co. Sligo in Ireland. The couple shared two children together, two-year-old Mason and 11-month-old Elias, with Damien also a loving stepfather to Linda’s sons from her previous relationship, Brodie and Joseph. Linda (pictured left), who now refuses to speak her father’s name, told the Irish Mirror: ‘We have two little boys, the older one still walks around the house looking for him.’

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She added she has had no contact with her father since the shooting. ‘As far as I’m concerned that man does not exist to me,’ she said, adding she wanted to see justice done. Linda told the newspaper she held a funeral for her late fiancé last week before she prepares to fly his ashes home to prepare for a future without him. She claimed Damien’s injuries from the shooting were so catastrophic, they were unable to have an open casket at the funeral and she could not fly his body back to Ireland in its condition to be buried. While she processes the devastation of losing Damien, his sister Leanna is with her in Australia. She also revealed she is in regular contact with Damien’s parents Ethel and Dermot, who are at home in Ireland.

In the meantime, she is having Damien’s body cremated. When she returns home with the ashes, she will hand them back to his family so they can be interred. Recalling how she met Damien, a carpenter who first moved to Australia in 2011, in 2019, Linda said the pair had an instant spark and she knew early on that he was ‘the one.’ As the pair built a relationship together she revealed how Damien doted on all four of her children. ‘He always enjoyed showing the children woodwork, he was avid lover of motorbikes, it was just… these are the things we just miss. It really is so tough. But his family have been fantastic support for us, absolutely fantastic,’ she said.

Damien’s nickname was ‘Mad Dog,’ which Linda said suited him well – reflecting his big ‘wild card’ personality and positive attitude. Linda is now hoping to raise enough money to bring Damien’s ashes home to Co. Sligo in time for St Patrick’s Day. On 4 March, Linda posted a message to thank people for their support.

She wrote: ‘From the bottom of my heart I want to thank all that have donated so far. The next step on the journey to our new normal is to take myself, Damien and our boys back to Ireland to allow the family and friends in Ireland to put Damien to rest and gain closure. Any and all help to get us to Ireland is deeply appreciated.’

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