PSNI knew Glenn Quinn was under threat, says family

Glenn Quinn's death in 2020 shocked the town of Carrickfergus and beyond

The brother of a man found murdered in his Carrickfergus home in 2020 has said police failed to inform him that his life was under threat.

Glenn Quinn died following an assault at his Ashleigh Park home in January 2020.

His brother Martin Quinn said it was "beyond belief" that the PSNI failed to act on the intelligence it had.

He said a senior investigating officer told the family the PSNI had information Glenn was to be attacked.

"This information had not been passed on to Glenn. That threat was played out, and Glenn was murdered," he added.

The 47-year-old had no connections to any crime or paramilitary gang but was threatened after he privately made a throwaway remark when he criticised an attack by the South East Antrim Ulster Defence Association (UDA) on a friend's business.

The South East Antrim UDA is one of Northern Ireland's largest paramilitary gangs and has been linked to a number of unsolved murders spanning two decades.

"For an institution like the police to fail in a town where people are murdered every couple of years by the same gang, and for this information to be ignored is beyond belief" says Martin Quinn.

"It was gut wrenching. Had we known that, we as a family could have taken steps to protect Glenn, let alone what the PSNI could have done for him."

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Glenn Quinn's family are awaiting the findings of a Police Ombudsman investigation into Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) handling of the case but according to Martin Quinn, the police are "failing in the estates in Carrickfergus, they're not keeping them safe".

"Who actually is keeping the people safe in Carrickfergus because nobody kept Glenn safe," he said.

"And until there is a policing presence in the estates in Carrickfergus, nobody will ever come forward and the next murder when the police come in and ask for witnesses to come forward they're wasting their breath because they know no-one will come forward and break the silence."

Martin Quinn said police were "failing in the estates in Carrickfergus"

The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland told the BBC its investigation was "considering the conduct of four officers" in relation to the case.

"The Police Ombudsman has used her statutory powers of 'own motion' investigation pursuant to Section 55(6) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 to investigate police handling of intelligence relating to a potential threat to Mr Quinn's life prior to his murder," a spokesperson said.

The PSNI said it would be "inappropriate for police to comment further at this time" given the ongoing Police Ombudsman investigation.

In a statement, Mid and East Antrim District Commander Supt Gillian Kearney said: "Keeping people safe will always be our priority and how safe people feel is an important factor in their quality of life.

"I want to reassure the public that police officers and staff are working around the clock to prevent crime and harm to individuals, protect the vulnerable and detect those who commit crime and bring them before the courts."