Ballymena women welcome conviction of ‘violent predator’

Cahoon, (39), who has a history of violence against women, was found guilty by a jury at Dublin’s Central Criminal Court last Monday of murdering 30-year-old Jean Quigley at her Londonderry home on July 26, 2008.

Ms Quigley was two months pregnant with Cahoon’s child when she was strangled.

Ex-partner of Cahoon, Ballymena woman Samantha Brown has said that she was lucky that Cahoon never killed her.

In the late 90s, Samantha suffered a series of vicious attacks at the hands of Cahoon when she became pregnant with his child.

He beat her when their daughter was born jaundiced, blaming her for the child’s condition and launched a vicious attack on her as she breastfed their daughter.

The final straw came when he tried to strangle her with the rope from a dressing gown.

During Ms. Brown’s two year relationship with Cahoon, he also viciously attacked a teenager as she walked home after a night out in Ballymena.

Lynne McGall was just 18 when Cahoon launched an attack on her at Broughshane Road and left her lying unconscious in a field, with horrific injuries.

The teenager was so badly beaten about the face by Cahoon that she was almost unrecognisable and could not remember what happened on that night back in 1997.

In the first case of its kind in Northern Ireland, Cahoon was brought to court on DNA evidence after his chewing gum was found in Ms McGall’s hair.

Speaking to the Press last week following Cahoon’s conviction for murder, Lynne said: “I am glad that he will not be back on the streets for a very long time, if ever, and that he can never again harm another woman.

“It was a terrible experience but I want to get on with my life”.

Lynne added her hope that his conviction for the murder of mother-of-four Jean Quigley will bring some comfort to the dead woman’s family.

“What happened in court [last week] is not about me, it is about Jean and justice for her,” she added.

Speaking to The Ballymena Times, Samantha Brown said of the verdict: “I’m delighted that he [Cahoon] won’t be in a position to abuse women for a long, long time, however, it’s terrible that poor Jean had to lose her life before any action was taken against him. Not only has he robbed Jean’s children of a mother he has robbed her family and friends of a beautiful person.

“Myself and Lynne McGall have had to live with the consequences of his actions against us and this has obviously impacted on the lives of our families.”

Samantha went on to urge anyone, female or male, who is living in an abusive relationship to seek assistance from the police or relevant authorities as soon as possible.

In a direct appeal to people in that situation, she said: “You may feel that it is better to stay with your partner, for example, for the sake of children involved however it is much better for them to have a loving stable family life with one parent than putting them through the emotional rollercoaster of living within an abusive family structure.”

During his trial for Jean Quigley’s murder, Cahoon told the court in Dublin that he strangled her to death after she had told him the child she was carrying was not his and that she was going to have an abortion.

“That’s when I saw red and I grabbed her by the throat,” he said.

Cahoon said he held her for about 30 seconds and she “turned purple”. He admitted leaving the scene and using a false name to get a taxi.

He said he fled to Donegal, then Galway and back to Donegal where he was arrested by Gardai.

Under cross-examination Cahoon said he did not call an ambulance or the police because he hoped she was still alive.

He had denied going to Ms Quigley’s house with the deliberate intent of killing her.

In a statement, the PSNI welcomed Cahoon’s conviction.

“Hopefully it will bring a small measure of comfort to her family after all they have suffered. Jean Quigley was a bright and bubbly 30-year-old mother of four who was expecting her fifth child when she was brutally murdered by Stephen Cahoon in her home.

“She suffered a horrendous death at Cahoon’s hands after she told him she wanted to end their brief relationship.

“Cahoon has brutally taken Jean Quigley’s life and robbed her four young children of a loving mother.

“This case made legal history on the island of Ireland.

“It was the first time a defendant was tried in the Republic under the Criminal Justice Jurisdiction Act 1976 for a non-terrorist crime committed in Northern Ireland. It shows how the law can be used to bring to justice those individuals who commit the most serious crimes, no matter where.

“Stephen Cahoon is one such individual. He is a dangerous sexual predator with a history of violence against women.”