THE TYRONE man suspected of starting a fire at the home in which he, his partner and their five children died, was having a sexual relationship with an underage girl in the weeks before the blaze, an inquest into the deaths heard yesterday.
Arthur McElhill, who had previous convictions and was on the sex offenders list, was also using a social networking site under the name of his seven-year-old son to make contact with teenage girls.
Findings in the cases of the seven members of the family will be delivered later this morning following conclusion of evidence yesterday.
Yesterday’s proceedings were dominated by evidence from the PSNI detective who headed an investigation into the deaths of McElhill, his partner Lorraine McGovern and their five children Caroline (13), Seán (7), Bellina (4), Clodagh (19 months) and James (nine months). They died at their home at Lammy Crescent following a fire at their end-of-terrace home in Omagh in November 2007.
Det Chief Insp Derek Scott confirmed to coroner Suzanne Anderson the contents of a lengthy statement about the circumstances of the fatal fire and the subsequent police investigation. Some family members present in the small courtroom broke down in tears during his evidence.
Det Chief Insp Scott said he believed the fire was started within the house and that it was not accidental. He told the inquest he believed that the doors and windows of the property had been locked from within.
The coroner heard how McElhill’s previous convictions had been the topic of discussion locally and that he had, on one occasion, been confronted at his house with accusations that he was a rapist.
The court further heard that McElhill had had intense contact with two minors known to the court only as Witness A and Witness B.
Subsequent to the fatal fire, PSNI investigators spoke to a 16- year-old girl who gave details about her sexual relationship with McElhill. However Det Chief Insp Scott said there was no evidence to support a contention that Ms McGovern knew of the nature of the relationship.
In answer to questions from counsel, he said there was no evidence of any violence or damage done to the house before the fire.
Two neighbours of the McElhill-McGovern family also gave evidence about events on the night of the fire.
Lee-Anne Duffy said she had heard an argument in the street outside the house shortly before she noticed the fire. She assumed the people inside were having a row.
Gary Taggart, a next-door neighbour, told how he had been awoken by shouting shortly before the blaze took hold of the building. He had not known of any grievance held against McElhill apart from one occasion when a woman had confronted him with allegations that he was a rapist.
Witness A, now 18, gave her evidence from behind a screen to protect her anonymity.
She told how she had given contradictory statements to police. In her first statement, made shortly after the fire, she had said that McElhill and Ms McGovern were having no problems in their relationship, that McElhill was not drinking heavily and she was not in a sexual relationship with him.
In her second statement, given in August 2008, she admitted having sex with him and of being in intense mobile phone contact with McElhill in the days before his death. She also detailed his heavy drinking. Asked by the coroner to explain the differing accounts, she said she “didn’t know what to say” in the immediate aftermath of the fire.