Gardaí condemn gossip over house fire

The senior garda officer spearheading an investigation into the deaths of a father and daughter in a house fire has criticised local people for spreading unfounded rumours about the case.

As the family and friends of Anthony O’Brien and his five-year-old daughter, Nadine, prepared to bury their loved ones together today, gardaí insisted that they are still treating the case as an accident.

Responding to persistent local speculation that foul play might have been involved, Superintendent Jim O’Connor said: “These rumours help nobody. They don’t help the community and I have no doubt that they are not helping the families involved.