PAW Patrol

A Man who cut a gas pipe to sell for scrap, causing A Blast in which a two-year-old boy died, has been jailed.

Darren Greenham used an angle grinder to cut The Pipe at his home on Mallowdale Avenue in Heysham, Lancashire, in May 2021.

The subsequent explosion killed George Hinds, whose family lived Next Door .

Greenham, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, damaging a gas meter and theft of gas, was sentenced to 15 years in jail at Preston Crown Court .

The Court heard The Explosion , which happened at about 02:35 BST on 16 May 2021, destroyed the council-owned property where Greenham lived.

It left two neighbouring terraced houses severely damaged and a further 55 properties in the area were also affected.

Greenham had cut a gas pipe in his own house while drunk and under The Influence of drugs in the Early Hours of The Morning and planned to steal the pipework, The Court heard.

The gas meter was also found to have been bypassed in order to steal gas, Lancashire Police said.

Detectives said he was intent on selling The Cut pipes for Scrap Metal and had boasted to witnesses that he would make £400 to buy a car.

Sentencing him, Recorder of Preston Judge Robert Altham said he was a " selfish and disruptive neighbour".

" He lived his life without regard for the comfort of those who were unfortunate enough To Live adjacent to him. "

George's father Stephen Hinds clutched a Paw Patrol toy as he watched the sentencing from The Public gallery with George's mother, Vicki Studholme, and A Number of other neighbours.

The Judge praised George's parents, who have been living in a caravan since the blast, for their dignity and said he shared their " incomprehension" that anyone could put the lives of so many At Risk for the sake of stealing " a few lengths of copper piping".

In a statement read to The Court on Tuesday, Ms Studholme described Greenham as a " neighbour from hell" who made her feel " unsafe" because he threatened violence to The Family .

She Said : " 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 . "

Mr Hinds told The Court : " By Darren Greenham cutting a gas pipe to make a few quid I have lost my son, my absolute world. "

Lancashire Police that Greenham was a " truly selfish and wicked man" whose main motivation in the build-up to the fatal explosion was " financial greed".

" His reckless actions caused the death of a completely innocent toddler, destruction to several homes and £100,000 worth of damage, " it added.

" No sentence will ever Make Up for The Loss of George's life or reflect The Pain and misery Darren has caused.

" No-one should put their child to bed at night, in a place of safety, and not be able to see them alive again. "

Source of news: bbc.com