Philip and Kim English were laid to rest with their children Callum and Jayden at Sacred Heart Church in Waterford after the suspected arson attack that killed four members of one family. Hundreds of mourners filled the church, where four coffins stood at the top of the nave and a family photograph sat beside four white candles.
The funerals came after the couple’s two other children were left in a critical condition in hospital. The family lived in the Birchwood estate in Waterford, and the fire has brought a criminal investigation into sharp focus.
Raymond Power in Waterford
Raymond Power, Philip English’s cousin, used the funeral service to speak directly to young people. “Please walk away from drugs,” he said, before adding: “Please ask for help when it comes to addiction. Please ask for help if you're being led down a bad path. Please choose a life, choose hope and please, most certainly, choose a future.”
Fr Gerry Chestnutt told mourners the community was “heartbroken” and described the four deceased as “the salt of the earth.” He said: “We are all better people for knowing you, for you were the salt of the earth and lights in this community.”
Gardaí and the drug debt claim
Gardaí believe the Waterford arson attack was linked to drug debt intimidation. Philip English’s son told RTÉ that the family was targeted over someone else’s drug debt, a version of events that adds a direct challenge to the motive being examined by investigators.
Two people appeared in court on Saturday charged in connection with the attack. After the Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Waterford, the family was buried in Kilbarry Cemetery, leaving the investigation to continue around the same fire that has already taken four lives and left two children fighting for life.
The next development in the case will come through the court process, while the central unanswered issue is what evidence led Gardaí to connect the fire to drug debt intimidation.
