Murder victim's family threatened by 'serious and organised' criminals

The family of a man who was beaten to death have been warned they could be attacked by "serious and organised" criminals.

Police believe Glenn Quinn, who was 47, was attacked by a group of men in his house in Carrickfergus in January 2020.

His family believe individuals linked to a loyalist paramilitary group - the South East Antrim Ulster Defence Association (UDA) - were responsible.

Glenn Quinn's brother Martin Quinn said police visited him on Wednesday with "information or intelligence that I was going to be attacked", and said his 82-year-old mother may also be targeted.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it does not discuss the security of individuals, but that if information is received that a person's life may be at risk, they will be informed.

Martin Quinn told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show that police warned him the "use of a firearm could not be ruled out".

He said they also informed him they would be visiting his mother regarding the threat.

"My stomach just turned," he said.

"An 82-year-old woman, a vulnerable woman, they're going to threaten her as well.

"It's an absolute disgrace, it's disgusting."

The Quinn family have been threatened multiple times in the years since Glenn's murder.

Quinn said the family have taken steps over the years to protect themselves.

However, he said: "Still, when you hear it, it takes the air out of your lungs".

Glenn Quinn had no connections to any crime or paramilitary gang but he was threatened after he made a private remark criticising an attack by the South East Antrim UDA on a friend's business.

He was found dead in the Ashleigh Park property on 4 January 2020, but detectives believe he had lain seriously injured for several days.

Quinn said he believes the latest threat has come from "the people who murdered Glenn".

"We do not believe it was the organisation who murdered Glenn, it was individuals," he said.

The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Gavin Robinson, has called for anyone with information on the murder, or the ongoing threats and intimidation to the Quinn family, to come forward.

He said those responsible for the threat are "disgusting".

"The family have already suffered the vicious and brutal murder of Glenn and their dignified determination to secure justice has echoes of so many other families across Northern Ireland who have suffered at the hands of murderous thugs," Robinson said.

He said the "silence against Glenn's murder must be broken".

"Information can be brought forward anonymously, if necessary, to either the police or Crimestoppers.

"However, if necessary, I will pass on any information given to me so that the criminals responsible for this campaign can be stopped for good."

Martin Quinn said his mother is the "strongest of us all".

When she was informed by police of the threat, he said his mother said she would "not be changing anything".

"She said 'I am not going to change how I live my life'," he said.

"Glenn was vulnerable, mum is vulnerable because she is 82 years of age," he said, adding he would not be shocked if those making the threats attacked his mother.

Quinn said he has "no idea" why the threats have been made.

"These people act on a whim, make these threats, they murdered Glenn on a whim," he said.

Martin Quinn said police need to step up patrols in the area, but added that the family "can't ask for much more than that".

There is a new team assigned to investigation the murder of Glenn Quinn and his brother said the family "feel very supported".

"Glenn will get the justice he deserves," he said. "And then we can start to grieve."