Peter Darragh Quinn 'not returning'

Peter Darragh Quinn will not be returning to the Republic to face the three-month prison sentence given to him last month, his…

Peter Darragh Quinn will not be returning to the Republic to face the three-month prison sentence given to him last month, his father has said.

Peter Quinn snr said his son was not fearful of going to prison but rather believed he would not receive “fair play or justice” if he returned because of the manner in which the authorities have handled the case against his family.

The authorities in the Republic are powerless to force his return because his sentence relates to compliance with a civil order rather than a criminal offence.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Peter Darragh Quinn and gardaí have visited his known addresses in the Republic but he has not been present.

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He was recently photographed attending a GAA club game in Kinawley, Co Fermanagh with his father, a former GAA president.

Peter Darragh Quinn’s cousin Seán Quinn jnr was jailed for the same period of three months after the High Court ruled the pair, along with Seán Quinn snr had failed to adequately comply with court orders aimed at reversing measures stripping multi-million assets from the Quinn family’s international property group.

Seán Quinn jnr is serving his sentence at the Training Unit at Mountjoy Prison.

In an interview in the Fermanagh Impartial Reporter newspaper, Peter Quinn snr said he believed there was a conspiracy in the Republic against his family.

He said that his son was "under a lot of pressure" but that his family was fully behind his decision to stay in Northern Ireland.

In an interview at the weekend, Seán Quinn snr did not criticise his nephew for failing to hand himself over to authorities.

“Petie has made his decision, I respect his decision.... I can easily understand it. To be put in a situation he is in is an extremely difficult situation,” Mr Quinn said. “I would never be critical of him, because he did what he felt was right for our family. I appreciate that and thank him for that.”