Yeppoon murder victim Shane O’Brien protected Prince Philip

Murder victim Shane O’Brien led a life that would have made a great movie script, including protecting Prince Phillip and a living pirate-like lifestyle for 10-15 years, his son says.

A former high-end security guard who once protected the former Duke of Edinburgh led a pirate-like lifestyle for 10-15 years while his son was growing.

Shane O’Brien led a life that would have made a great movie script, his son Torin reminisced while speaking to The Morning Bulletin.

Torin was able to talk publicly about his father for the first time this week after the man charged with his father’s murder, Lyorde Francis Painter, was deemed unfit to stand trial by Queensland’s Mental Health Court last month.

Tragically Torin and his family still don’t know what happened on the day of Shane’s death, and they likely never will.

“Dad’s last few years were turbulent,” Torin said.

Shane O'Brien is not prepared to put up with the misuse of his information

Torin said that at the time of his death, Shane was a man battling post traumatic stress disorder from a range of incidents in his past, and worked as the captain of a fishing trawler.

He only got to know Shane when he (Torin) relocated back to Australia after living in New Zealand with his mother and sister until he was 12.

Torin said Shane went “missing” for 10-15 years.

Mr O'Brien loved being on the water.

“I was led to believe he was a mercenary,” Torin said.

But he said he later found out his father had been working at sea all those years and was once jailed for gun running.

Torin also heard a story about his father once being shot in the back in Footscray, Melbourne while he was, luckily, wearing a bulletproof vest.

“It was a very pirate-like lifestyle,” Torin said.

Shane O'Brien worked as a fisherman on trawlers most of his life.

Torin said his father, who had worked as a high-end security guard, had introduced him to Australian rock legend Angry Anderson when he was a teenager.

Torin said Shane was given a UK uniform to wear while carrying out security work for the former Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, during one of the Prince’s visits to Australia in the early 2000s.

Murder victim Shane O'Brien (in the middle) was supplied a UK uniform to wear during a security detail guarding the former Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, some time in the early 2000s.

Prince Philip visited Australia 20 times in 72 years with one visit in 2000 and one in 2002 and another in 2006 for the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.