Northern Ireland

QIH directors welcome progress in police probe into intimidation and violence against staff

Kevin Lunney was abducted and tortured before being dumped at the side of a road in Co Cavan
Kevin Lunney was abducted and tortured before being dumped at the side of a road in Co Cavan Kevin Lunney was abducted and tortured before being dumped at the side of a road in Co Cavan

The directors of QIH have welcomed the progress made by police in the investigation into the abduction and torture of businessman Kevin Lunney in Co Fermangh. 

Four men have been charged by gardai over the incident and are due to appear in court in Co Cavan later today.

A spokesperson for QIH said: "We welcome ongoing progress in the investigation into acts of intimidation and violence against QIH staff. It would be inappropriate to comment on operational aspects of the investigation or on matters before the courts."

The Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) executive was snatched near his Co Fermanagh home and brutally assaulted in September.

The father of six spoke out about the attack in a BBC Spotlight interview, describing how he had been slashed with a knife, doused with bleach and branded by his captors before being dumped on a remote road in Co Cavan.

While welcoming the recent searches and arrests, QIH director John McCartin told The Irish News earlier this month he feared that the lack of police action meant the trail had gone cold on a lot of the information he had provided.

“I think the police have really gone for it now. But you know the trail is cold on a lot of this stuff. It's very old. It's been going on for years. We've been banging our heads off walls looking for meetings with senior police management and really haven't been taken seriously until now.”

Mr McCartin and Mr Lunney were part of a team of Irish businessmen who led a successful bid to restore the Seán Quinn business empire to local control in 2014.

Earlier this month, key suspect Cyril McGuinness, known as "Dublin Jimmy", died from a suspected "cardiac event" during a police raid in Derbyshire, England.