Man arrested over fatal fire

A man has been arrested in connection with a fire in Dublin in which a young boy died in 2001.

A man has been arrested in connection with a fire in Dublin in which a young boy died in 2001.

Stephen Connors (12), died from smoke inhalation after flames gutted a makeshift hut where he was spending the night with a 14-year-old friend close to his home at Rossfield Park in the early hours of September 1st, 2001.

His companion Darren Hall escaped with minor injuries.

While it was initially thought the boys had started the blaze by knocking over a candle, gardaí now believe it was started deliberately.

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Video footage recorded at a nearby business premises shows a man approaching the scene and leaving in a hurry several minutes before a small explosion sets the hut, which was built from pallets and carpet, ablaze.

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, a small explosion can be seen off camera.

The incident was featured in a Crimeline programme in 2003 and re-examined by the Serious Crime Review Team. A man (51) was arrested in 2003 and a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The man was not prosecuted.

Gardaí said today that new evidence had come to light prompting the arrest of a 52-year-old man in the Dublin 7 area this morning.

The information came to light as part of the ongoing investigation carried out since the 10th

anniversary of the the boy's death. Gardaí had issued a fresh appeal for witnesses last September.

The man is being detained at Tallaght Garda station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, a Garda spokesman said.