‘SF is still trying to blacken our son’s name decade after murder’

THE family of a young man savagely beaten to death by an IRA mob have accused the Republican Movement of “protecting and covering up for killers, paedophiles and rapists”.

Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the murder of south Armagh man Paul Quinn (21), who died from catastrophic injuries inflicted when he was beaten by up to a dozen IRA men.

The thugs used iron bars and nail-studded cudgels in a farm shed in Co Monaghan.

So far 23 people have been arrested and questioned in relation to the killing that sent shockwaves around the country. But as his anniversary approached, Crimestoppers and gardaí made a renewed appeal to the public for information.

Last night, Paul Quinn’s father told the Irish Independent:

“We know the names of everyone of the gang who murdered our son and so do the police, and so does everyone here in Cullyhanna.

“The Republican movement is good at protecting and covering up for killers, paedophiles and rapists – and it cannot deny that because there so much evidence.”

Garda sources have confirmed their belief that Paul Quinn was targeted by the IRA after he stood up to a number of local Republicans, including a Provo who is heavily involved in organised crime in the area and closely associated with IRA godfather Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy .

The simmering tensions came to a head when the murder victim beat the Provo’s son in a fist fight.

Mr Quinn was lured to his death on October 20, 2007, after three friends, who were held hostage by the gang, were forced to arrange a meeting with him at an isolated farm shed across the Border in Monaghan.

As he arrived, the 21-year-old was set on by the mob, who bludgeoned him continuously for over half an hour, breaking every major bone in his body in the process. He died from catastrophic injuries a few hours later.

The victim’s mother, Breege Quinn, has also spoken out about how her son was murdered by “evil incarnate” a decade ago.

“Ten years ago a group of IRA thugs lured my baby boy to a shed in Monaghan. For close to an hour they beat him with iron bars and nail-studded cudgels.

“Every major bone in Paul’s body was broken. He was taken to hospital and medical staff worked on him for an hour or more.

“Every night when I close my eyes I see my boy lying there, butchered by evil incarnate,” Ms Quinn wrote on social media.

The family’s pain continues as they battle for justice amid slurs on their son’s name.

Earlier this week Conor Murphy, a former Sinn Féin MP and MLA for the area, rebuffed the SDLP who called on him to issue an apology to the Quinn family.

Shortly after the barbaric killing, Mr Murphy branded the victim a criminal and linked his murder to a gangland feud – which he denied had any connections with the Republican movement.

Mr Murphy then issued a public statement claiming that he had spoken to the IRA in south Armagh and was satisfied it wasn’t involved.

However, both the gardaí and the PSNI have repeatedly stated that Mr Quinn was not involved in crime and believe he was the victim of an IRA gang.

Earlier this week, Mr Murphy rejected a call from Justin McNulty, an SDLP MLA, to “remove the slur” and apologise to the family. The senior Sinn Féin figure responded that the claims that he had branded Paul Quinn a criminal were “without any foundation”.

However, in an interview he gave to the BBC ‘Spotlight’ programme on November 13, 2007, Mr Murphy clearly suggested the murder victim was involved in crime.

He said at the time: “It is fairly obvious to me, that this (the murder) is linked to fuel smuggling and criminality… Paul Quinn was involved in smuggling and criminality and I think everyone accepts that.

“This is a very difficult situation because there is a family grieving. I don’t want to add to that grief.

“I have no evidence as to who killed Paul Quinn, I have to speculate as to some of the activities he was involved in.”

The victim’s father last night accused Mr Murphy of being “too cowardly” to apologise.

“For the past 10 years we have been calling on Conor Murphy and Sinn Féin to remove the slur on Paul’s good name and tell gardaí what he knows. Everyone around him knows who was involved because the killers are all Republicans.

“By claiming that our son was a criminal and the victim of a feud, Sinn Féin was trying to deflect attention from the real culprits who are all involved in the party and the IRA.”

‘By claiming that our son was a criminal and the victim of a feud, Sinn Féin was trying to deflect attention from the real culprits who are all involved in the party and the IRA’