Gardaí fear further violence after family die in Waterford arson attack
Four members of the English family died after their home in Waterford was set alight in an arson attack early on Tuesday. Gardaí fear further violence amid heightened tensions, while investigators believe the family were targeted because someone they knew owed a €20,000 drug debt.
Kim English, her husband Philip and their sons Callum, 12, and Jayden, nine, were killed; their two other children, Nadia, 14, and Elliot, six, remain in a critical condition in hospital. Philip’s son said the family had faced years of intimidation and that his mother’s home had also been petrol-bombed. Gardaí are investigating three brothers linked to an organised crime gang, have carried out searches and seized vehicles and electronic devices, and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
- Four family members died in a Waterford arson attack.
- Two children remain critically ill in hospital.
- Gardaí fear reprisals linked to a €20,000 drug debt.
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Waterford is a city in south-east Ireland, where Gardaí are the national police force. Arson is the deliberate setting of a fire, and attacks on homes can put everyone inside at risk.
The English family had several children, and one of Philip English’s sons has said the family faced years of intimidation. Investigators believe the family may have been targeted over a €20,000 drug debt owed by someone they knew; this is a line of inquiry, not an established finding.
Gardaí are investigating possible links to three brothers associated with an organised crime gang. Their concerns about further violence relate to heightened tensions around the case, which has also prompted a police appeal for information.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Gardai fear more violence after couple and children ‘killed in arson attack over €20,000 drug debt’ – as two other youngsters remain fighting for their lives”.