QUINN INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS staff have called for “an end to this reign of terror” after its director and Chief Operating Officer was brutally attacked on Tuesday evening.
Kevin Lunney was abducted from his car near his home in Derrylin, Co Fermanagh at around 6.40pm on Tuesday. He was seriously assaulted before being left at the side of the road at Drumcoughill, Cornafean, Co Cavan some time before 9pm.
He was discovered by local residents and was brought to hospital with serious injuries.
Lunney sustained severe injuries to his legs, torso and face in the attack.
A statement issued today on behalf of the staff at QIH said: “We the staff of QIH want to express our unequivocal support for Kevin and his family and wish him a full and speedy recovery from the horrific injuries that have been inflicted on him.”
QIH employs over 800 people.
They added that “this attack was not only an attack on Kevin, but on the entire staff and community”.
“As a staff group, we utterly condemn this and all previous physical assaults, arson attacks and intimidation on members of staff. The people who are perpetrating these acts do not represent us, or our views, and we plead with them to stop this campaign with immediate effect,” the statement said.
We demand an end to this reign of terror, to all intimidation and attacks on management and their properties.
The staff have called on local politicians, the PSNI and gardaí to allocate “whatever resources are necessary to bring these perpetrators to justice and to bring an end to these brutal attacks”.
The staff of QIH held a short solidarity march between two QIH facilities located in Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, this afternoon.
“We ask those in our local communities to come together in solidarity to support Kevin and the Lunney family, and we also plead with them to give whatever support and assistance is required to assist in bringing these perpetrators to justice,” the staff said.
An Garda Síochána have today carried out a number of searches in the Cavan area, which are ongoing at this time.
Speaking in Cavan today, Deputy Commissioner John Twomey said: “The local community and all normal people in a democratic society, and An Garda Síochána are outraged at this savage and horrific attack on a business man going about his normal business.”
He said gardaí will “make every effort to bring these violent criminals to justice”, adding that they “need the support of the local community in order to do so”.
Lunney’s condition
Speaking to Northern Sound this morning, Liam McCaffrey, CEO of QIH, said Lunney had steel pins put into his leg during a procedure in hospital in Drogheda yesterday
McCaffrey said Lunney went through “an indescribably awful ordeal” but added that he was “reasonably pleased to get that procedure out of the way because that lessened his pain”.
McCaffrey, who has been friends with Lunney for over 20 years, said Lunney is “a remarkable individual”, “very popular, very principled” and “operates to a high moral code”.
He appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
McCaffrey did not go into specific details but said he and other Quinn executives are taking steps to protect their safety, noting they have been for some time.
He said the ongoing threats and intimidation are “something that we’re very conscious of” but added “we can’t let something like that rule our lives entirely, you’ve got to get on with a normal life as well”.
Appeal
An Garda Síochána and the PSNI are continuing to appeal to anyone who may have seen a black saloon Audi being driven in the Derrylin, Fermanagh or Swanlinbar, Killeshandra, Cavan areas to make contact.
Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have been driving in the Fermanagh/Cavan border region between the hours of 6pm and 10pm on Tuesday who may have dash cam footage to come forward.
Anyone who has any information on the attack or other criminal activities which have taken place in the Fermanagh/Cavan border area in recent years can contact Cavan Garda Station on 049 436 8800, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
The PSNI can also be contacted at 101, quoting reference number 1748 of 17/09/19.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
With reporting by Órla Ryan
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