A two-year-old boy died after a “neighbour from hell” brought on a fuel explosion by reducing a pipe to promote for scrap steel, a courtroom has heard.
Darren Greenham, 45, used an angle grinder to chop the pipe within the early hours of 16 May in Lancashire final 12 months, prosecutors mentioned.
It brought on a large explosion which killed George Hinds, whose household lived within the neighbouring property in Mallowdale Avenue, Heysham, Preston Crown Court was informed.
George’s father Stephen Hinds informed the courtroom: “By Darren Greenham cutting a gas pipe to make a few quid I have lost my son, my absolute world.”
He mentioned Greenham, who was depending on alcohol and medicines, made the lives of his neighbours a “misery” and would play music till the early hours and insult George.
Mr Hinds, who wore a blue Paw Patrol tie and took a Paw Patrol toy into the witness field with him, mentioned: “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 an announcement, George’s mom Vicki Studholme mentioned she felt “unsafe” in her dwelling due to Greenham, a “neighbour from hell” who she mentioned made threats of violence in direction of her, her husband and their son.
She mentioned: “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.”
The courtroom heard that the explosion at 2.36am destroyed the Lancashire County Council-owned property Greenham lived in and severely broken the 2 neighbouring terraced homes.
A complete of 55 properties within the space had been broken.
Timothy Cray KC, prosecuting, mentioned that on the time of the explosion the council was contemplating taking eviction proceedings after a variety of complaints about Greenham’s behaviour.
The courtroom heard the fuel meter within the property had been altered so Greenham may obtain fuel with out paying for it.
A report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the explosion discovered wood floorboards had been faraway from the primary ground touchdown of the home and fuel pipes had been minimize intentionally.
The blast was more likely to have occurred 20 to 40 minutes after they had been minimize and there would have been a powerful scent of fuel and an audible noise earlier than that, the report mentioned.
Greenham, who suffered a critical head harm and misplaced most of the usage of his proper hand within the blast, pleaded responsible in August to manslaughter, damaging a fuel meter and theft of fuel.
He will likely be sentenced on Wednesday.
Source: information.sky.com”