Garda appeal to those with Paul Quinn 'on their conscience'
THE numbers in the Paul Quinn murder case remain as horrifying today as they did when the 21-year-old from Cullyhanna, south Armagh was lured six miles to Oram, Co Monaghan, and beaten to death by up to 10 masked men 19 years ago this week.
Every major bone in his body was broken.
He was the youngest of Breege and Stephen Quinn’s three children.
Over the course of the investigation since then, 23 people have been arrested in connection with his murder - 14 in the Republic and nine in the North but no-one has ever been charged.
Behind the numbers, however, secrets, fear and guilt have prevailed.
ANNIVERSARY APPEAL
To mark the 19th anniversary of the young lorry driver’s brutal murder on October 20, 2007, gardaí in Castleblayney have renewed their appeal for information.
Speaking on the anniversary of Paul Quinn’s murder, Detective Superintendent Ronan Carey said solving this murder “is of utmost priority for An Garda Síochána”.
Speaking on a video - available to view online at www.anglocelt.ie - the lead investigator appealed to people’s change in circumstances over time. He is particularly appealing to the people of Cullyhanna, he said.
Speaking to the men who were in the shed and their friends and family who “continue to carry the burden of knowing what happened to Paul on their conscience,” the detective said: “Time has now passed, and the nature of relationships may have changed.”
He urged anyone “who was afraid to talk to us over the last 19 years to now come forward”.
“Help us to bring closure to Paul’s parents Breege and Stephen Quinn who continue to suffer the terrible loss of their son Paul,” the officer appealed.
DS Carey also thanked the community for their assistance to date and for providing “new and valuable lines of enquiry” but made specific mention of the van the men fled the scene in.
“The gang left the scene in what is believed to be a white coloured van,” he said, “To date, this van has not been recovered and Gardaí continue to seek any information which may assist in identifying and locating it.”
The investigator concluded the latest appeal by assuring members of the public that any information received by An Garda Síochána or PSNI will be “treated with absolute confidentiality”.