Quinn family insist Sinn Féin withdraws criminality allegations

THE family of a man murdered in the North two months ago yesterday insisted Sinn Féin must withdraw allegations he was a victim of a dispute between criminals before they will talk to the party.

Briege and Stephen Quinn’s son, Paul, from Cullyhanna in south Armagh, was lured over the Border and beaten to death by a gang at a farm.

The family said Sinn Féin MP and Stormont minister Conor Murphy phoned the family at home this week.

The couple, who met with Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward, said they refused to engage with Mr Murphy until he and party colleagues withdrew allegations of criminality around their son.

Mr Quinn said: “I spoke to him [Mr Murphy] for about half a minute or so.

“He rang our house and was looking to speak to me but I had some conditions before I would speak — to lift the criminality thing in public and all that. He didn’t say he’d do it. So I just left it at that. I told him that whenever he wanted to do that sort of thing maybe we might consider speaking to him.”

The family of Paul Quinn and a number of people in south Armagh — including former Sinn Féin members — have alleged that IRA members killed him.

After their meeting with Mr Woodward, it was claimed the British Government also believed that was a possibility. The family were joined at the meeting by nationalist SDLP Assembly member Dominic Bradley and Councillor Geraldine Donnelly.

Mr Bradley said the meeting had been emotional for the family and for Mr Woodward.

“He has made it clear that neither him nor his Government consider Paul to have been a criminal,” Mr Bradley said.

“He made it clear that he didn’t think Paul’s death was as a result of a feud and I think that he realises that the possibility of paramilitary involvement in Paul’s death cannot be ruled out.

“So, I think that, from the point of view of the Quinn family, this has been a significant week.

“We have heard [Foreign Affairs] Minister Dermot Ahern saying that Paul was not a criminal. We have heard the Taoiseach saying that on the floor of the Dáil. So, at the moment, all political parties in Ireland, on the island of Ireland and the British Government are saying that Paul Quinn was not a criminal.

“There is only one party saying otherwise.

“It is now the responsibility of Sinn Féin to review their attitude to this murder and to clarify their position.”