Daniel Allen Derrylin arson attack which killed four members of Gosset family: PPS says his motive may never be fully understood

By Philip Bradfield
Published 21st Feb 2024, 16:09 BST
Updated 21st Feb 2024, 20:04 BST
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​​A senior Public Prosecution Service officer says the motivation of a man who killed four members of the same family may never be fully understood.

​Head of the PPS Serious Crime Unit Ciaran McQuillan was speaking after Daniel Sebastian Allen was sentenced to 29 years for the attack in Derrylin in February 2018.

Allen pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Denise Gosset (45), plus three charges of murdering Denise’s children Roman (16) and Sabrina (19) and Sabrina’s baby daughter Morgana. He also admitted one charge of arson.

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Mr McQuillan said: “Daniel Allen has been sentenced to one of the longest tariffs in prison imposed by the Courts in recent years for killing three generations of one family, including two teenagers and a toddler.

File photo from 2018 of Daniel Allen being led away from Enniskillen Magistrates' Court, with his sweatshirt over his head. He has been found responsible for the deaths of four people following a house fire, and has been sentenced to 29 years in prison. Photo: PA WireFile photo from 2018 of Daniel Allen being led away from Enniskillen Magistrates' Court, with his sweatshirt over his head. He has been found responsible for the deaths of four people following a house fire, and has been sentenced to 29 years in prison. Photo: PA Wire
File photo from 2018 of Daniel Allen being led away from Enniskillen Magistrates' Court, with his sweatshirt over his head. He has been found responsible for the deaths of four people following a house fire, and has been sentenced to 29 years in prison. Photo: PA Wire

“He callously took the lives of those close to him for reasons that may never be fully understood. His actions were grotesque and shocking and have inflicted terrible suffering on his victims’ surviving family and the wider community that they will have to carry for many years to come.”

He said painstaking work by the PSNI, working closely with the PPS’s Serious Crime Unit, built a robust court case against Allen, he said.

“The scenes encountered by police, other emergency services and members of the community who tried to help Denise and her family were truly harrowing.

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"We thank every witness who was prepared to assist in the event of a trial. Whilst Allen’s guilty pleas have saved the victims’ family the ordeal of a trial, we hope the conclusion of this prosecution can bring some small sense of closure to all involved.”