Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Teen jailed for fatal stabbing in house row
Dad killed in broken bottle attack
A TEENAGER was jailed yesterday for killing a man by striking him with a broken bottle.
The defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, was told he will spend three years in custody after he admitted the manslaughter of 24-year-old Gerard Quinn. Mr Justice Treacy said: “This is one case where the genuineness of the remorse is, in my view, beyond question.” Mr Quinn’s twin brother Michael was also injured in the attack last May. The defendant’s term in custody will be followed by three years on supervised licence when he is released from Hydebank young offenders centre. Derry Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, heard the teen armed himself with a vodka bottle and ran to the aid of his friend, who was involved in a violent row outside a house on the evening of May 21 last year. The defendant, who was 16 at the time, was with a group of other teenagers in the property in the Milldale Crescent area of Currynierin when the Quinn brothers and another man called at the door. One of the youths in the house was confronted outside by Michael and as the older man was “getting the better” of the youth, the defendant ran out of the house armed with the bottle. The judge said: “Michael Quinn was struck first and his twin brother Gerard was then struck with the broken part of the bottle, causing severe injuries.” The wound to the father-of-one’s neck was so catastrophic that despite medics at Altnagelvin Hospital battling for five hours to save his life, he was pronounced dead at 4.22am on May 22, surrounded by his family. Following the violent confrontation, the defendant changed his clothes, before texting his sister and telling her: “I have f **** d up, please come and get me.” He then handed himself in to police at Strand Road station where he was initially charged with attempted murder. The teen co-operated fully with police, telling officers he impulsively grabbed the glass bottle in a bid to scare the older men off. He also said he acted in fear as he was concerned for his own safety and that of his friends. He was handed a six-year sentence for manslaughter, with a concurrent four-year sentence for wounding Michael Quinn. He is due to be released within a year due to time spent on remand.