A man in his 20s and a woman in her 30s have been arrested in Ireland in connection with the suspected arson attack on a home in Waterford that killed Philip and Kim English and their two young sons.
The pair are being questioned by gardaí on suspicion of facilitating a criminal organisation, police said on Thursday afternoon. The fire broke out at the family home in Birch Avenue, Birchwood, on Tuesday morning.
Philip and Kim English and their sons Callum, 12, and Jayden, nine, died in the blaze. Two other children injured in the attack remain in a critical condition at Children’s Health Ireland Crumlin.
Post-mortems completed
Post-mortem examinations on the four victims have been completed, but the results are not being released for “operational reasons”. Gardaí have repeated their appeal for information into the attack.
Multiple properties have been searched and a number of electronic devices and vehicles seized as part of an “intense” investigation.
Political reaction
Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane, who knows the family, said the attack showed “utter contempt for human life” and called for drug-related intimidation and criminal gangs to be confronted head on.
Speaking in the Dáil during Leaders’ Questions on Thursday, Mr Cullinane said: “This murderous attack showed utter contempt for human life, and anyone who planned, ordered, or carried out this attack must face the full force of the law.
“Drug-related intimidation must also be confronted head on. Other families are looking out their front doors and wondering, could their children be next?”
He called on the Government to ensure Waterford has the Garda resources needed for the murder investigation, including the support of the Organised Crime Unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau, and to review how threats and requests for help are managed.
Family statement
On Wednesday, Mr English’s son John James English claimed his family were murdered because of someone else’s €20,000 drug debt. He said the family had been targeted for some time but were not involved in drugs and were “innocent”.
He told RTÉ News: “It’s a family, you know. Twenty grand worth of a debt, is that worth nearly five lives?”
Minister for Defence Helen McEntee described the attack as “violent criminality” and said drug debt collection was an “absolute scourge” on society. She said she would “engage” with the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, on whether more could be done to tackle the issue.
Hundreds of people attended a vigil on Wednesday in the Birchwood area, where parish priest Gerry Chestnutt called on those responsible to “stand up, admit what you did and face the legal consequences”.
