Following a gas explosion at a house in Heysham that killed a toddler, a man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
At around 2.40 a.m. on May 16, 2021, we were called to reports of an explosion on Mallowdale Avenue.
When emergency services arrived, they discovered two houses had collapsed, with serious damage to a third.
George Arthur Hinds, two years and ten months old, died as a result of the blast. Our thoughts are with his family.
George’s parents were also injured, albeit not seriously. They were taken to the hospital for treatment and then released. They are still aided by specially trained officers.
In the days following the explosion, a criminal investigation was launched, and detectives, assisted by gas experts, determined that the cause of the explosion was a gas pipe that had been cut inside number 20 Mallowdale Avenue.
Police made four arrests in connection with the investigation in October, and Sharon Greenham, 52, and Darren Greenham, 44, both of Ambleside Avenue in Lancaster, were charged in December with manslaughter and theft from a metre / automatic machine.
Darren Greenham appeared before Judge Robert Altham, The Honorary Recorder of Preston, today (August 24) and pleaded guilty to manslaughter and theft charges. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.
Sharon Greenham is scheduled to go on trial on October 4 at Preston Crown Court.
