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Sinn Fein politician who called murder victim Paul Quinn a criminal has met with gardai investigating killing

They called him in and he went. Theyve been at him since Paul died to go in from when he said that, Breege said.

[Parents Breege and Stephen Quinn in their home in Cullhanna, Newry, talk about the murder of their son Paul Quinn]

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Parents Breege and Stephen Quinn in their home in Cullhanna, Newry, talk about the murder of their son Paul Quinn

A Sinn Fein politician who sparked uproar for calling murder victim Paul Quinn a criminal has met with Gardai investigating his brutal killing, it can be revealed.

And in an exclusive interview for the final episode of The Stars second series of the Shattered Lives podcast, Pauls parents Stephen and Breege Quinn said Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy has recently spoken with gardai investigating their sons death which was confirmed to by Mr Murphy.

He went to the guards now, just a couple of weeks ago.

It took him a while but he went, Stephen Quinn told our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google from today.

They called him in and he went. Theyve been at him since Paul died to go in from when he said that, Breege added.

Breege was referring to the time that Mr Murphy stated on national television that he spoke to the IRA the day after 21-year-old Paul Quinns murder and they claimed they had nothing to do with it.

The prominent Sinn Fein politician also came under fire for saying Paul Quinn was a criminal at the time something he later expressed his regret for saying.

When contacted about his recent meeting with gardai, Conor Murphy said: I can confirm that I have met with the Gardai in relation to the murder of Paul Quinn.

In light of the ongoing investigation I have no further comment to make at this stage. I would appeal to anyone with information to bring it to the Gardai or PSNI.

Tragic Paul Quinn from Cullyhanna, Armagh, was lured to a shed in Co Monaghan and savagely beaten to death by an IRA-linked mob on October 20, 2007.

To this day no one has been prosecuted over his murder, which is thought to have occurred after Paul had a confrontation with the son of a prominent IRA member in a bar in the days prior.

And speaking to our podcast, Stephen and Breege told how they regularly find themselves crossing paths with those believed to be involved in the gruesome killing.

[Paul Quinn, the son of Breege and Stephen Quinn, who was beaten to death by a gang of around a dozen men in a farm shed near Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, in 2007. ]

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Paul Quinn, the son of Breege and Stephen Quinn, who was beaten to death by a gang of around a dozen men in a farm shed near Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, in 2007.

We meet them on the road. I met that young mans (a man believed to be involved) mother one night in Crossmaglen and I just turned around to her and said I hope you can sleep in your bed at night, Breege said.

I think its harder for them because they dont look at us. Theyd look across the ditch rather than look at us, Stephen added.

And Breege says she believes those involved must wrestle with their conscience at night.

People say theyve no conscience but I always say when you go to bed at night you cant control what you dream about or what nightmare youre going to have.

The grieving parents believe their son was killed because of an altercation he had with the son of a prominent IRA figure.

But Breege says if the gang hadnt reacted in the horrific manner they did, she believes her son and the other young man probably would have become friends.

I think that was a regular occurrence.

If they were out in the pub it was like a red rag to a bull.

If they had have left him alone Im sure theyd be friends today, she said.

Because the young lad was who he was and the father, he was the bully, Stephen added.

[Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy]

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Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy

Describing the cruel manner in which her son was killed, Breege told how the gang beat her son and essentially crucified him in the barn.

They used iron bars and sticks with nails on them and they just beat him and sliced his ear off. Every bone in his body was broken. The doctors said they left nothing to fix, she said.

The gang that murdered Paul used the fact that he was a Good Samaritan to lure him to the shed under the the false pretences that they wanted his help to clean it.

They knew if anybody rang for Paul in the middle of the night Paul would be up and away.

They knew the way Paul worked. They knew they only had to ring him to say come and help us to clean out the shed and hed be gone, Breege said.

Stephen also told how none of the individuals suspected over the murder have ever come to him or Breege and denied it.

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