Police suspect a Traveller gang leader may have ordered the petrol-bomb attack that killed an innocent couple and two of their children in Ireland.
Kim English, who was in her 30s, her husband Philip, who was in his 50s, and their sons Callum, 12, and Jayden, nine, died after a petrol bomb was thrown into their home in the Birchwood estate, around 3km from Waterford city centre, in the early hours of Tuesday.
According to The Irish Sun, gardaí have identified a Traveller gang leader suspected of ordering the fatal attack.
The development follows revelations from Philip’s son from a previous marriage, John James English, who said gangland figures in Waterford had terrorised the family for years over a £17,000 drug debt allegedly owed by someone known to them.
Just three weeks before the deadly fire, the family car was also targeted in a petrol-bomb attack. No one was injured on that occasion.
John James told RTÉ that the home of his mother, Anne, who is Philip’s former wife, had previously been attacked with another petrol bomb.
Investigators hunting those responsible are believed to be concentrating on three brothers alleged to run a “low-level drugs operation”.
During searches linked to the investigation, gardaí seized cars, mobile phones and other electronic devices.
Philip and Kim English with their children, including Callum, left, and Jayden, centre
Kim and Philip died in the blaze at the Birchwood estate, around 3km from Waterford city centre, in the early hours of Tuesday
Forensic officers examine the scene of an overnight fire at the Birchwood estate in Waterford City
Officers are also investigating whether a woman drove to the scene with another person, who allegedly carried out the attack.
In a statement, gardaí said they believe people know who was responsible and appealed for them to come forward with information.
Security sources said officers fear the attack on the innocent family could trigger further violence.
A senior source said: “I want there to be no doubt whatsoever here. The people who were killed were completely innocent.
“They were targeted because they knew someone who had owed the alleged attackers money for a considerable period of time.
“The last thing gardaí want is more violence, but tensions are extremely high right now. So many people are grieving, and they are angry — rightly so.
“But gardaí have seen before how an incident on this scale can lead to further bloodshed.”
Philip and Kim’s two other children, Nadia, 14, and Elliot, six, remain in critical condition in hospital after the blaze, which has shocked the nation.
A burnt-out window at the family home on Birch Avenue
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Police at the scene of an overnight fire in the Birchwood estate in Waterford City, Ireland
On Wednesday afternoon, James English, an uncle of Philip, said: ‘Well, whoever knows, you’d want to turn up and own up to whoever’s done it.
‘At the end of the day, we have a lot of the family now wiped out.
‘Please, whoever’s done it, own up. Be a man and own up for what you have done.’
He said Nadia and Elliot are ‘not good’ in hospital.
There were emotionally charged scenes at the site of the quadruple murder on Wednesday, with over 100 members of the community releasing balloons in honour of the four victims.
Philip’s father Paddy broke down in tears as the song You’ll Never Walk Alone played from a car stereo as the balloons drifted skywards.
A vigil was then held in the nearby Sacred Heart Church where hundreds turned out to pay their respects.
Speaking at the balloon release, Philip’s ex-wife Anne said they were a happy family.
‘I just have no words. I’m lost, and I’m going to be lost without them,’ she said.
‘She [Kim] is my best friend. We were very, very close. I heard when I got a phone call from one of my family, and I jumped out of my bed.
Floral tributes outside the English family’s home
A person holding balloons ahead of a release ceremony to commemorate the lives of a family killed in an arson attack
‘Since then, I am numb. I am just shocked. The family is very close. Very happy.’
Ray Power, who is Philip’s cousin, urged the younger people of Waterford not to get caught up in the criminal lifestyle.
He described the rampant drug use in the city as a ‘demon’ which comes into homes and destroys them.
He said: ‘You’d be better off going off into a different country, going off and enjoying life, and enjoying yourself instead of looking up to that [dealers], because they’ll use you. They don’t care about you.’
In the latest Garda statement regarding the murders, a spokesman said: ‘The investigation is intense in nature and very active, with multiple searches being carried out across a number of premises in Waterford city yesterday evening.
‘A number of electronic devices and vehicles have been seized, which are now subject of technical examination. There have been no arrests at this time.’
