Further arrests expected in Waterford arson murder investigation

Gardaí say further arrests are anticipated in the investigation into the arson attack that killed Philip and Kim English and two of their children in Waterford City.

The tragedy occurred on Tuesday when the family’s home was set alight, also seriously injuring two other children who remain in critical condition at Crumlin Hospital. Yesterday, a man in his 20s and a woman in her 30s were detained in Waterford on suspicion of murder and are being held under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, allowing detention for up to seven days.

Broadcaster Damien Tiernan told Newstalk Breakfast that the case is the most serious handled by Waterford Gardaí in recent years, involving local detectives, specialists and interviewers from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Thousands of hours of CCTV footage from across the city and beyond have already been examined.

Tiernan said the two suspects are believed to be low‑level members of the gang responsible for the attack, which the victims’ families say was motivated by a drug‑related debt owed by someone they knew. No involvement in drugs or crime has been attributed to the English family.

The funeral for the four deceased family members will be held on Monday at Sacred Heart Church, Waterford, with closed coffins and a Requiem Mass at one o’clock. A vigil was held on Wednesday, and Gardaí have asked anyone with information to contact Waterford Garda Station.

Source: Newstalk. Photo: Vladimir Shipitsin / Pexels.