Joe O’Donnell is undergoing rehabilitation at a centre in Ryde, Sydney.

A trust that was set up to help a man with Australian and Irish citizenship who was violently gunned down in Honduras last year is appealing for donations to help with his rising medical expenses.

Joe O’Donnell, a diving instructor, had been living on Roatan Island when he was shot in the spine after a dispute with a local resident and the resident’s wife.

The incident, which just failed to sever his spinal cord and a major artery, left Mr O’Donnell with only partial movement in his left leg and little use of his right.

Mr O’Donnell is currently in a rehabilitation centre in Ryde, Sydney, where he is learning to use crutches, and will be treated for three months until he is moved to a housing facility for quadriplegics and paraplegics near Parramatta.

The Joe O’Donnell Trust has so far received $7,000 to help Mr O’Donnell, who is from Sydney but holds an Irish passport through his Kerry father.

Mr O’Donnell has also received $20,000 in personal donations, however his medical costs alone are in the region of $75,000 and rising.

Trustee of the Joe O’Donnell Trust, Simon Hall, told the Irish Echo that Mr O’Donnell would most likely have to pay hefty legal expenses for bringing the gunman to court.

“At the moment, the man who shot Joe is trying to get the attempted murder charges downgraded to attempted assault, by arguing that the shooting was self-defence, even though Joe was shot in the back,” he said.

Mr Hall said that the trust has received deductible gift recipient status, meaning that donations made to the trust are tax deductible.

Donation details:
Name:  Joe O’Donnell Recovery Trust
(ABN 56 552 575 721)
Bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Account Name:  Joe O’Donnell Recovery Trust
BSB:  064-783
Account No:  072539900