A GARDA ballistics expert told a murder trial jury yesterday that a fatal fire which killed a woman and an 18 month old girl started between the hall door and the stairs of their house.
Det Sgt Seamus Quinn, of the ballistics Section at Garda Headquarters, said that he examined a number of fire damaged rooms in the semi detached house after the fire and removed pieces of debris for further examination. He removed an exploded gas cylinder from the hallway and examined a blowtorch and gas cylinder.
Witness said that he was present when officials from Bord Gais tested gas pipes and appliances in the house. Following the tests, he concluded that there was no gas leak within the house "prior to, during or after the fire".
He told Mr Kenneth Mills SC, prosecuting, that he carried out a number of experiments because he believed there was not enough combustible material in the hallway to sustain a fire. Timber, carpets and wallpaper were available. "These weren't enough to sustain a fire and progress a fire of that magnitude in such a short time," he added.
He was giving evidence at the Central Criminal Court on the sixth day of the trial of a publican, Mr Francis McCann. Mr McCann (36) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, Esther (36), and 18 month old baby Jessica at their home at Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin, on September 4th, 1992. The jury has heard that Jessica was a blood relative of the accused man, but not a child of his marriage to Esther.
The prosecution claims that Mr McCann arranged the fatal fire because he did not want to tell his wife why the Adoption Board had refused the couple's application to adopt Jessica.
Det Sgt Quinn said that he carried out a test using a blowtorch directed at a gas cylinder. The cylinder exploded in a fireball after seconds, but was totally extinguished after two seconds. He later went to a Civil Defence unit at the Phoenix Park which provided him with a single storey block building with, a door and one window. He repeated the experiment, and again the cylinder exploded, but there was no continuance of flame on the carpet. He then repeated the experiment using half a litre of alcohol spirit. The cylinder exploded and this time the carpet was totally burned out.
The trial continues today.