BUTANE gas was used with an accelerant to cause the blaze which killed a woman and an 18 month old baby girl, a murder trial jury was told yesterday.
Det Sgt Seamus Quinn was giving evidence at the Central Criminal Court on the seventh day of the trial of a publican, Mr Francis McCann. Mr McCann (36) has denied the murders of his wife Esther (36) and the baby, Jessica, at the family home at Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin, on September 4th, 19,92. 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 has claimed that Mr McCann, arranged the fire because he did not want to tell his wife why the Adoption Board had refused their application to adopt Jessica.
Yesterday Det Sgt Quinn, of the ballistics section at Garda Headquarters, told Mr Kenneth Mills SC, prosecuting, he had concluded that the fire began downstairs, that there were no smoke alarms and that the burglar alarm had not been set.
He said neither electricity nor natural gas caused the fire, but that butane used with an accelerant was responsible.
Cross examined by Mr Barry White SC, Det Sgt Quinn said he had no scientific qualifications but had been a scene of crime officer for 20 years. He agreed that in his original statement of evidence he had omitted finding a gas cylinder.
Det Sgt Quinn said three butane gas cylinders and a blow torch were found in the house. He said he had carried out "ad hoc non scientific tests" and had used hall a litre of alcohol on carpet and had, applied a blowtorch to a gas cylinder. The cylinder exploded and a fire started.
He said he was aware when he carried out his tests that no hydrocarbons had been found on debris taken from the house.
The trial before Mr Justice Carney continues today.