A man has admitted causing an explosion that left him and another resident seriously injured and caused more than £1 million worth of damage.
A residential street was left looking like a bomb had gone off after Ian Lenaghan cut a gas cooker hose multiple times in his first floor flat on Whickham Street, Roker, Sunderland, on February 15. Lenaghan, 59, was one of two people taken to hospital with serious injuries as a result of the blast which destroyed one property and substantially damaged several others.
An investigation into the cause of the explosion was subsequently carried out with police supported by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Tyne & Wear Fire & Rescue Service. They found that a gas cooker hose had been cut multiple times with a sharp metal object prior to the blast, which occurred at 3.45pm.
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Lenaghan, of Whickham Street, Sunderland, initially denied his involvement in the cause of the explosion but has now pleaded guilty to damaging property reckless as to whether the lives of three people were endangered, when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court.
Detective Sergeant Alan Whittle, of Northumbria Police, said: “Ian Lenaghan’s actions that afternoon could so easily have resulted in a number of fatalities. It is sheer luck that nobody died in that blast. The damage caused on this residential street was significant, at an estimated value of up to £1.4 million. It displaced people from their homes and came at a huge cost to everyone involved.
“I am pleased that he has now been convicted of this offence at court and he must now face the consequences of his mindless actions when he is sentenced next month. I would like to thank the community for their incredible cooperation and patience throughout, as well as HSE, Gentoo and our blue-light colleagues who played such an instrumental role in the hours and days after the blast.”
The second man who was taken to hospital has since been discharged. Lenaghan was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on June 27.
Judge Penny Moreland told him pre-sentence reports will be compiled but warned: "You should understand none of that is any indication as to the sentence you will receive. By far the most likely outcome here is a sentence of immediate custody."
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