A "neighbour from hell" caused a gas explosion which resulted in the death of a two-year-old boy, a court heard.
Darren Greenham, 45, used an angle grinder to cut a gas pipe which he intended to sell for scrap metal in the early hours of May 16 last year. The action caused a huge explosion, directly killing George Hinds, whose family lived in the neighbouring property in Mallowdale Avenue, Heysham, Lancashire.
Today Greenham was jailed for 15 years after admitting manslaughter, damaging a gas meter, and theft of gas. George's father, Stephen Hinds, told Preston Crown Court that Greenham made the lives of his neighbours a "misery".
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Greenham, who was dependent on alcohol and drugs, would also play loud music until the early hours and hurl insults at George. Speaking to the court, Mr Hinds said: "By Darren Greenham cutting a gas pipe to make a few quid I have lost my son, my absolute world.”
He added: "It makes my blood boil now, I always did the right thing and reported it to the council and the police, nothing was ever done.” In a statement, George's mother, Vicki Studholme, said Greenham made her feel "unsafe" in her own home, referring to him as a "neighbour from hell" who would make threats of violence towards her and her family.
She said: "I do feel that although we reported this countless times we have been let down by the council and the police, and the death of my beautiful baby boy could have been avoided.”
She added: “After the explosion, being trapped in the rubble was the most scared I had ever been in my life. This was until I arrived at the hospital to be told that George had died.
“Never, ever have I felt so scared as in that moment of my life.” The court heard that the explosion, which took place at 2.36am, destroyed the Lancashire County Council-owned property that Greenham lived in.
Two neighbouring terraced houses were also destroyed in the explosion while a total of 55 properties in the area were damaged. Timothy Cray KC, prosecuting, said that at the time of the explosion, the council was considering taking eviction proceedings against Greenham after several complaints regarding his behaviour.
He added: "He had been removing every bit of pipework he could for weeks before, seemingly because he knew he was going and he wanted to make what he could from selling it as scrap.”
Sentencing, Recorder Robert Altham said: “Greenham was a selfish and disruptive neighbour. He lived without regard for the comfort of those who were unfortunate enough to live adjacent to him."
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report after the explosion revealed that wooden floorboards had been removed from the first floor landing of the house and gas pipes had been deliberately cut. It is believed that the blast would have happened around 20 to 40 minutes after they were cut and there would likely have been a strong smell of gas and an audible noise, according to the report.
Peter Glenser KC, defending, noted that Greenham was sober for the first time in "many, many years" since being in custody while awaiting sentence. He added: "With that sobriety has come a clarity and an insight that he didn’t have through all his years of drink and drugs, and that clarity and insight has enabled him to see for the first time what terrible harm he has caused.”
Greenham, who suffered a severe head injury a lost most of the use of his right hand in the blast, pleaded guilty in August to manslaughter, damaging a gas meter, and theft of gas.
He is due to be sentenced later today.
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