Garda∅ are seeking a man caught on security video at the scene of a fire which claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy in Tallaght, Dublin, last month.
Detectives last night urged anyone who recognised the man to come forward. The appeal came as the CCTV footage was screened on RT╔ television's Crimeline.
Stephen Connors died from smoke inhalation after fire gutted a makeshift pallet where he was spending the night with a friend, close to his home at Rossfield Park, Tallaght, on September 1st. His companion escaped with minor injuries.
The close circuit footage, recorded at a nearby business premises, shows an unidentified man approaching the pallet with a dog, leaving and then returning alone approximately nine minutes later. Shortly after he departs for the second time at around 5.20 a.m., a small explosion can be seen off camera.
Garda∅ believe the fire was caused deliberately. It was initially thought that Stephen O'Connor and his companion had started the blaze by knocking over a candle.
Members of the public with in formation should contact Tallaght Garda station.
Local youths constructed the den from wooden pallets and carpet. Stephen Connors had told his parents he was staying at a friend's house.
The owner of the premises where the footage was recorded wants to remain anonymous.
The CCTV footage has been in Garda possession for some time.