Friends of the man killed in Qatar incident take part in challenge to honour his memory
Written by Jack Ian Austwicke on 3rd May 2024
Andrew Quinn, a friend of Robbie Robson who was murdered, is attempting to run five marathons in five days to raise money for Emmaus North East.
Robson (far right) is pictured with friends, including Andrew Quinn (second from left).
The South Shields local was 38 when he was murdered while working on an oil rig off the coast of Qatar by roommate – Scott Forrest – who bludgeoned him using an iron weight.
His family were told that his killer could face the death penalty if found guilty. However, to the devastation of those close to Robbie, Forrest’s sentence was downgraded from murder to manslaughter and he was given just a 10-year term.
His friends and family appealed the decision to the Qatari courts in the hope of seeing justice prevail, as they raise awareness surrounding the 38 year olds name.
Andrew Quinn is at the heart of that, he has set a goal to run five marathons in five days, in a Coast to Coast challenge from Whitehaven in Cumbria to South Shields for homeless charity Emmaus North East, joined by many friends along the way.
Quinn spoke to Spark about his miraculous challenge. “Robbie and I were part of a big group of friends that rode the Coast to Coast a few years ago, so we have some special memories from that trip, and I wanted to do something special in his memory.
“I thought to myself that running it over 5 days would test my limits and at the same time catch the attention of everyone so that I could do my bit to keep Robbie’s name and memory living on.
“In the wake of Robbie’s death, his sister coined the phrase “don’t just exist” and I think this challenge is the epitome of that message.”
Andrew also mentioned his goal for the challenge: “Really to raise money in Robbie’s name and channel our good energy in his memory. What happened was horrific and the effects of our loss are still as deep today as the day we lost him.
“We want to raise the profile of Robbie’s case.”
The challenge will start in Whitehaven on May, 15 and ends in South Shields on May 19.
A target of £5,000 has been set for the cause. If you’d like to donate to the cause please click this link.
To follow Andrew on his journey you can find his Instagram here by clicking this link.
