SUNDAY WORLD ARTICLE

Staff in Quinn Group/ Aventas: we were all perplexed at Sunday World's article regarding the company and all the anomalies in it. While everyone in the community, ourselves included, object to the vandalism and sabotage, we feel that Mick McCaffrey's investigation was very inadequate and revealed nothing but confusion, exaggeration and some downright lies.

An individual, whom none of us in CIC know, apart from by name, was identified as a suspect “behind 70 attacks”. Yet later on we read that he was in jail in Belgium for the vast majority of these attacks. Are we to believe that he was orchestrating these attacks from Belgium? Are we to believe others were over visiting him to plan these acts or were they planned by phone? Are we to believe this all went on under the noses of the security services in Ireland and prison staff in Belgium?

Furthermore, Aventas management, we were told, failed to contribute to the article, yet there were numerous so-called acts that none of us ever heard of that were clearly provided from within the company e.g. “Security followed from Belturbet to Cavan”.and from “Derrylin to Cavan”. (Do they expect to have the road to themselves as they travel about?) Phone calls, text messages and threatening letters to managers were all cited, along with hoax bomb threats, numerous fibre optic cables cut, steel spikes scattered regularly etc. etc. Where did all these “Facts” come from, if not from Mc Ginley or O Brien? How can the Sunday World claim they have a relevant source for this information, while simultaneously saying Aventas management would not contribute?

Another puzzling contradiction: this was being done “in an effort to have the owners sell the business” and farther down “The ultimate aim is …..that any company looking to buy the various businesses will pull out.” How are we supposed to give any credibility to the article?

Most disappointing of all were the insinuations were made against a “highly respected local business man”. The man isn’t mentioned by name, but knowing the local businessmen who have supported the Quinns, no-one from the locality is going to believe such a scurrilous unsupported character assassination on one of them. This clear attempt to discredit supporters of the Quinns is truly outrageous and unfair and is as misguided as the individuals doing the physical damage.

Marks out of 10 for Mick Mc Caffrey's article: 10 for sensationalism; 2 for journalistic integrity