Police in Ireland have arrested a man and a woman following the death of a mother, father and their two children in an alleged arson attack earlier this week. Gardaí investigating the fire in Waterford, in the south of the country, are questioning a man in his 20s and a woman in her 30s in connection with the fire.
Philip and Kim English and their sons Callum, 12, and Jayden, nine, died in the blaze at their home on Tuesday. On Thursday afternoon, gardaí said the man and woman were arrested on suspicion of facilitating a criminal organisation.
Two children remain critical
Gardaí said two other children injured in the suspected arson attack remain in a critical condition at Children’s Health Ireland Crumlin. The post-mortem examinations on Mr and Mrs English and their sons have been completed, but the results are not being released for “operational reasons”.
Gardaí have repeated their appeal for information into the attack, which happened in Birch Avenue, Birchwood, on Tuesday morning. Multiple properties have been searched and a number of electronic devices and vehicles seized as part of an “intense” Garda investigation.
Political reaction
Earlier on Thursday, Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane said drug-related intimidation and criminal gangs must be confronted head on and called for better support for families targeted by criminals. Mr Cullinane said the attack in Waterford showed “utter contempt for human life”.
On Wednesday, Mr English’s son claimed his family were murdered because of someone else’s 20,000-Euro drug debt. John James English 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?”
Vigil and calls for support
Mr Cullinane, who knows the family, said people in Waterford were devastated by their deaths. Speaking in the Dáil during Leaders’ Questions on Thursday, he 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 that Waterford has Garda resources needed for the murder investigation, including the support of the Organised Crime Unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau. He added: “We have to face down these criminal gangs. These are cowards, and what happened in Waterford has people’s hearts broken, and it should never, ever have happened.”
Minister for Defence Helen McEntee said the attack was “violent criminality” and that 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”.
