Murdered Glenn’s final call for help
■ He told brother evil attackers had laughed as they walked out of his flat ■ Family speak out as the killers of teminally-ill man continue to walk free
THE sister of a terminally-ill man murdered by loyalists in Carrickfergus has said her brother revealed how his attackers had laughed at him in his last phone call.
Glenn Quinn died in January after he was beaten with baseball bats by UDA members. Sister Lesley said he survived long enough to call his brother Martin, and said his killers laughed as they left him dying.
THE horror of Glenn Quinn’s last hours as he lay broken and dying in agony in his flat after a vicious attack by UDA thugs haunts his sister Lesley’s every waking moment.
That he was frail due to a terminal illness meant that the 47-year-old — who should have celebrated his 48th birthday last Friday — had no chance to even attempt to defend himself.
Glenn died alone, suffering from horrific head and facial injuries as well as 14 broken ribs and a broken collar bone, after a ferocious attack with baseball bats and a metal bar.
His killers laughed as they left him dying in a pool of blood.
For his sister Lesley Murphy (46), brother Martin (51) and widowed mum Ellen (76), the gruesomeness of what he endured will never leave them. His dad Jim passed away three years ago, aged 74.
As Lesley reveals in her first ever in-depth interview, the family is also tormented by the fact that his killers continue to walk free.
Glenn’s death in January horrified the close-knit community of Carrick where he and his family are well-known and respected.
He had just moved into a new groundfloor flat at Ashleigh Park in the Woodburn area of the town a few weeks before his death because of his ill health.
Glenn suffered from a condition known as haemochromatosis, which is an overload of iron in the blood.
He was told his condition was terminal, and in his last months he was very frail as his organs had started to shut down.
Lesley, who no longer lives in Northern Ireland, says: “Glenn was told he would never reach pension age and he was resigned to the fact that he was dying, but when I was home at Christmas I was really shocked by how much he had failed.
“He used to work in the Co-op warehouse but he had to give it up as his mobility was really bad and he struggled to walk. That’s why he got a ground-floor flat.
“He looked so poorly the last time I saw him that part of me did expect to be burying him this year but not the way we did, without being able to say goodbye and nurse him in his final weeks. He should not have died alone.
“He wouldn’t have been able to defend himself against three people. He was vulnerable and they knew it so there is no doubt they had murder in their minds.”
It was believed Glenn was targeted for criticising an arson attack by South East Antrim UDA on the business premises of a friend. He survived long enough after the attack to make a phone call to his brother Martin when he revealed his killers laughed as they left him dying in his flat.
Lesley reveals: “Glenn rang Martin and told him he had been attacked and Martin urged him to ring an ambulance but he kept saying he was okay.
“Martin blames himself for not going and getting help but he had no idea how bad it was. Glenn did say the three of them laughed as they left the flat.”
Glenn is described by his sister as “one of the best men you could ever meet”.
He was separated from his wife but they remained good friends and he was devoted to his stepdaughter and young grandson. He was also very close to his sister and brother and a devoted son.
Lesley says: “Glenn was the type who welcomed everyone and had so many friends. He was a lovely big man. He and my brother Martin were best friends and there is only 13 months between me and Glenn so we’ve always been very close.
“As Mum says, we were inseparable. We loved each other and if he cried, I cried and vice versa.
“Mum is absolutely broken. She still waits for him tapping the window or coming in and I think she always will.
“She is just devastated. I see it in her face. She cries every day.
“I miss him terribly. I miss him laughing. We have a big hole in our hearts, we really have.
“Sometimes you think it is not real and then it hits you and you realise it is very, very real.
“In my mind I see them beating him and it just kills me. How can people be so cruel?”
It is now believed Glenn’s killers lay in wait for him in a cupboard under the stairs beside his flat.
Police have confirmed that they believe members of the South East Antrim UDA were responsible, even though the attack was not “sanctioned” by the grouping.
Glenn is the seventh person to have been murdered by the UDA gang based in Carrickfergus.
❝ Glenn had no known enemies and no reason that we are aware of for anyone to cause him harm
People in the Antrim town have been afraid to speak out but Lesley last night issued a heartfelt appeal to her local community to help find her brother’s killers.
And she also appealed directly to those responsible to give themselves up.
She says: “Sometimes I feel sorry for the people who did this. It must leave a mark on your soul and they must have that on their consciences and be worrying about the police coming to their doors.
“They are cowards who attacked a vulnerable man for no good reason.
“We need witnesses to come forward. Police have named the group responsible and their bosses say the attack on Glenn was not sanctioned.
“If that is the case, they now need to come forward and say that they didn’t sanction it and they need to stop protecting Glenn’s killers.
“They have been silent for too long and by staying silent they are condoning the murder of an innocent man.
“To Glenn’s killers I would say: come forward and clear your conscience and tell the police what you have done.”
Glenn’s popularity in his own town was apparent at his funeral when over 600 mourners turned up to pay their last respects.
Since his death, his heartbroken mum has suffered a stress-related angina attack and Lesley believes that until Glenn’s killers are caught, no one in the family will have any peace.
She adds: “At Glenn’s funeral I had grown men stand in front of me in floods of tears. It was heartening for us to see that support. There are so many good people in Carrick.
“We don’t want another family having to go through what we are going through.
“No one else in Carrick should have to suffer this. I just want to try and take a stand, and stand up to them.
“People know who they are and I would urge them to speak to the police.
“We are not grieving properly and I don’t think the pain will stop or we will be able to grieve until the people who killed Glenn are arrested and brought before the courts and face justice.
“Things will never be the same without Glenn, but we need justice to be able to grieve properly for him.”
Glenn’s friends have also set up a Facebook page called Justice for Glenn Quinn, which has over 1,000 members and for which the family has been very grateful. Detectives from the major investigation team are asking for people in the community to search their consciences and do the right thing and bring any information they have about Glenn’s murder, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to the attention of police.
Detective Chief Inspector Darren Mccartney said: “As the investigation progresses, I am still keen to know the movements of Glenn on the days leading up to his murder.
“I know that he visited shops on the Woodburn Road at around 2pm on Thursday, January 2. Due to his limited mobility, he would have travelled there in his silver BMW car, registration YEZ1590.
“Did you see Glenn in his car after this time? I would also like to hear from anyone who saw or spoke to Glenn in the days before his murder.”
DCI Mccartney added: “Glenn was well-known throughout Carrickfergus and had no known enemies and no reason that we are aware of for anyone to cause him harm.
“We know that Glenn was previously assaulted outside his home on December 29 and while he wasn’t badly injured, he was left frightened by this attack.
“We are working to establish if there is any link between that assault and the attack on Glenn a few days later when he sustained blunt-force trauma that resulted in his death.
“I would like to hear from anyone who had been in contact with Glenn since Christmas Day and to whom he had revealed any concerns, or who might be able to shed light on the motive for Glenn’s murder or those responsible for it.
“If you were in Ashleigh Park on Friday, January 3 from midday until 10pm, or witnessed the attack on Glenn on December 29, we need to speak to you, particularly if you witnessed anything or may have captured any footage on dash cam or mobile phone. Did you see or speak to Glenn at any time between Thursday, January 2 and Friday, January 3? If you did we need to hear from you.”
He urged anyone with information to contact police on 101, quoting reference 783 04/01/20 or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.