Heartbroken mum pleads for UDA to give up son’s killers
The grieving mother of a terminally ill man who was beaten to death in his Carrickfergus home has pleaded with the South East Antrim UDA to give up his killers.
Glenn Quinn, who would have been 48 today, was found dead in his flat at Ashleigh Park in the Woodburn area of the Co Antrim town in January of this year.
He had been beaten by a gang armed with baseball bats and a metal bar.
Now, UTV can reveal it is believed his killers lay in wait for him – in a cupboard under the stairs beside his ground floor 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 Quinn’s mother Ellen Quinn and sister Lesley Murphy are now living in another part of the UK.
In their first interview, speaking via video link, they told UTV Correspondent Sharon O’Neill that his killers knew how vulnerable and defenceless he was.
“My heart breaks – I think of him morning, noon, and night,” Ellen says of her son, who suffered from a blood disorder that attacked his organs.
“Life will never be the same without Glenn. Never.”
Glenn Quinn had just turned the key in the door of his flat when he was jumped on by up to four people who had been waiting for him that Friday night.
He was beaten in the hallway and then dragged into his flat and subjected to even more violence.
“I’m haunted by what I’ve seen,” his sister said.
“I’ll never forget what I’ve seen. I see Glenn when I close my eyes. I see him battered and broken.”
The officer leading the investigation says it is time the community took a stand.
“It’s time for them to search their souls,” PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Darren McCartney told UTV.
“And it’s time for them to make a positive decision to get rid of the toxicity which exists in the estates in Carrickfergus and make this place better for, not only themselves, but their families.”
UTV understands that one suspect in Glenn Quinn’s killing was a senior member of the South East Antrim UDA until he was stood down just a few months before the fatal attack.
The victim’s supposed “crime” was standing up for a friend by speaking out.
His sister added: “It’s the year 2020 - we shouldn’t be living with paramilitary organisations.”
Watch our report here: