Wife killer Joe O’Reilly has found God behind bars and is refusing to celebrate his 50th birthday because of his strict faith.
The murderer reached the landmark on Wednesday but he refused to have cake in prison or mark the occasion in any way.
O’Reilly, who is serving a life sentence for battering his wife Rachel to death at their home in Naul, Co Dublin, in 2004, became a Jehovah’s Witness while in prison.
Read more: Mother of Rachel Callaly claims Graham Dwyer verdict is 'green light for murderers'
The fundamentalist religion doesn’t observe birthdays, Easter, Christmas or other holidays as they are considered pagan.
It is also understood the killer, who turned vegan in prison, spent the occasion alone.
However, O’Reilly’s on-and-off girlfriend Nikki Pelley did visit last Saturday.
Ms Pelley, with whom he was having an affair when he murdered his wife, is officially listed as his “partner” for visits.
Sources say he is in regular contact with his church elders, and reads the Bible every day.
To become a Jehovah’s Witness, O’Reilly had to pass a number of tests.
His murder conviction would have stalled his application but having proved
knowledge of the religion, O’Reilly has been accepted.
He was even immersed in water as he was baptised. O’Reilly is now known as a “publisher” – the name given to those who spread the word of the church – and is among some 6,000 members in Ireland.
He also acts as a counsellor in the prison.
Meanwhile, Rachel’s mum Rose Callaly said an EU ruling which said Ireland’s system of retaining and accessing mobile phone metadata breaches EU law could give killers like O’Reilly the green light.
Mobile phone evidence played a key role in securing his conviction
Read more: Brother of murdered Rachel Callaly says killer Joe O'Reilly should never be released
Read more: Deaths of women 'should shame' Irish society as we remember the victims of domestic violence
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
