The father of murdered truck driver Paul Quinn today insisted he was more hopeful than ever the killers will be caught as the inquest into his son’s death opened.
The inquest into the death of the 21-year-old from south Armagh, who was lured to an isolated Co Monaghan barn last October and beaten to death, opened briefly before being adjourned.
Stephen and Breige Quinn holding a picture of their late son Paul.
Ronan Maguire, Louth County Coroner, told the short hearing the inquest was opened only to issue a death certificate.
The whole country had been shocked by the brutality of the murder, he said, expressing his condolences to the Quinn family.
Garda Inspector Leo McGinn made an application for the inquest to be adjourned, under section 25.1 of the Coroner’s Act, because they were hoping to bring criminal proceedings.
Afterwards, Paul's father Stephen Quinn said both he and his wife, Breige, would never fully come to terms with the killing of their son.
“We feel the same, we feel at an awful loss and always will feel that way until the day we die I suppose,” he said. “There’s a part of us gone and that’s it. A big part.”
Mr Quinn, who was accompanied by friends, pleaded for anyone that could help the ongoing inquiry to get in contact with the authorities.
“Anyone out there that has any wee bit of information whatsoever that would be helpful to the guards, just go in and give it,” he said. “People want to see whoever it was brought to justice and this sort of thing brought to an end, these sort of beatings and intimidation brought to an end. No-one wants that anymore.
“I’m very, very hopeful at this minute that some of them will be brought to justice. Hopefully them all, if possible,” he said. “I’m getting more hope as the thing goes along to be honest.”
Dr Michael Curtis, deputy state pathologist, said he had compiled an 18-page report into his autopsy, but the coroner said it was inappropriate at this time to go into it in detail.
The pathologist said Mr Quinn, from Cullyhanna, south Armagh, died from multiple injuries due to blunt force trauma.
The North's Independent Monitoring Commission last month said the IRA did not kill Paul Quinn but local members or former members were involved.
PA