Six men contact police after TV appeal over Sharkey murders

SIX men who were captured on CCTV on the day three members of a family were murdered in a deliberate house fire have contacted police following an appeal on Crimewatch.

Police released images of the men earlier this month after it was thought they may have unwittingly witnessed something that might help the murder investigation.

Thomas Sharkey, 21, died in the fire started at the family’s flat in Scott Court, Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute, in the early hours of 24 July. His sister Bridget, eight, died on the way to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. Six days later, their father Thomas Sharkey Snr, 55, died of pneumonia at Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary, caused by breathing in smoke.

Yesterday, officers said they still wanted to trace two other people seen in the local area around the time of the fire. Detective Superintendent Peter McPike, the officer leading the inquiry for Strathclyde Police, said: “As we stressed before, the people in the images that we released last week are not suspects, and we wanted to trace them as they may have unwittingly witnessed something that could move our investigation forward.

“We are now able to confirm that the four men walking on East Princes Street and the two men walking on East King Street in the CCTV images have come forward to police.

“Despite numerous appeals, we are still keen to trace two other people seen in the local area around the time of the fire in the early hours of 24 July.”

The fire was featured on the BBC Crimewatch programme last week and it contained an emotional plea for information from Mr Sharkey’s wife Angela, 46, who was the only family member to survive the blaze.

Det Supt McPike said: “I would like to thank everyone who has come forward with information since the BBC Crimewatch programme was shown on Thursday. However, I am sure that there are still people out there who have not yet come forward to police with vital information.

“I have said before that this may well be because of misplaced loyalty or fear, and I would like to point out that three people, one of whom is an eight-year-old child, are dead and a whole family have been left devastated by this terrible crime.”

He also said that people with concerns about contacting police can do so in confidence.

He added: “I would urge members of the public who know anything about these murders who have not yet come forward to police to look to their conscience and make that call.

“They could have that vital piece of information that will move this investigation forward and bring the people responsible for this terrible crime to justice.”