Convicted sex offender Arthur McElhill killed himself and his family in a house fire in Omagh, County Tyrone, a coroner has ruled.
McElhill burned the house down because his partner threatened to leave him, Northern Ireland coroner Suzanne Anderson found o Tuesday.
Arthur McElhill, Lorraine McGovern and their five children died in the blaze at Lammy Crescent in 2007.
He had been having sex with an under-age girl in the weeks before the fire.
The inquest also heard of McElhill’s previous suicide attempts, and his use of a Bebo social-networking account in his son’s name to groom teenage girls for sex.
The evidence that his wife was planning to leave included found five full bottles of baby milk found in an upstairs bedroom.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott had told the inquest: "I don’t think it was for one night. It would be inconceivable that they would need so much milk."
In a statement released after the verdict McElhill’s parents said their lives had been "devastated and shattered."
" Our pain is immeasurable and it will endure for the rest of our lives," they added.
More to follow.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
