Waterford firebomb killings linked to €20,000 drugs debt owed by another person, son says

A Waterford man says his father, stepmother and two siblings were murdered over a drugs debt they did not owe. Two other children remain in critical condition.

Firebomb attack on Waterford home kills four family members over another person's drugs debt

The son of a man killed alongside his wife and two children in a firebomb attack on their Waterford home has told RTÉ News that the family was targeted over a €20,000 drugs debt owed by somebody else entirely, nova.ie reports.

John James English said his family had been subjected to years of terror and insisted the victims had no involvement in criminal activity. He said he knew who carried out the attack and was not afraid of those responsible. He also disclosed that his mother Ann English, Philip's first wife, had previously had her own home petrol-bombed.

Philip English, his wife Kim, and their children Callum, aged 12, and Jayden, aged nine, died after their home at Birchwood Estate was firebombed at around 5am on Monday. Two other children — a 14-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy — remain in a critical condition in hospital.

Speaking at the scene, Ann English said she had no words to describe the tragedy and that she had lost her best friend. She described Philip, Kim and their children as a lovely family who loved and cared for one another, and appealed to anyone with information to contact gardaí.

Philip's granduncle, James English, urged those responsible to come forward, saying the family had been "wiped out".

Members of the community gathered at the scene throughout the day to lay flowers and pay their respects. Caroline Douris, principal of Scoil Lorcáin, attended alongside teachers from the local primary school, which two of the children had attended. She described Callum as a beautiful child who, along with his brother, was full of life.

Gardaí have described the investigation as intense and active. Multiple searches were carried out at properties across Waterford city on Monday night, including homes linked to two significant criminal figures suspected of involvement in the drugs trade and drug-debt intimidation. Cars and electronic devices have been seized and are undergoing forensic examination. No arrests have been made to date.

Investigators believe the attack is connected to drug-related violence and intimidation, and have renewed their appeal for information, stating that people within the community may have knowledge of who carried out the arson.

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)