He said: "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.". Darren Greenham, 45, used an angle grinder to cut the pipe in the early hours of May 16 last year, causing the huge explosion which killed George Hinds, whose family lived in the neighbouring property in Mallowdale Avenue, Heysham, Lancashire, Preston Crown Court heard on Tuesday. A man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter following a gas explosion at a house in Heysham in which a toddler died. During that time, with a clear smell and sound of gas leaking, Greenham continued cutting pipes as neighbours slept on either side of his home.. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. "Never ever have I felt so scared as in that moment of my life. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Appearing in the dock at Preston Crown Court earlier this week (5th October), Darren Greenham, 44, was sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to George's manslaughter. Lancashire Police said detectives and gas experts had discovered the cause of the explosion was a gas pipe which had been cut inside number 20 Mallowdale Avenue - the home of Darren, 44, and 50-year-old Sharon Greenham. The judge said: "Mr Greenham was a selfish and disruptive neighbour. Sharon Greenham, 51, and Darren Greenham, 44, are accused of the manslaughter of George Arthur Hinds. Georges heartbroken father has reportedly posted a filmed tribute on Facebook of his son reading a book about animals, next to the caption: My little boy. She added: "After the explosion, being trapped in the rubble was the most scared I had ever been in my life. News. The night before the funeral, Vicki asked me to put him in his bed - thats what we called his coffin - for one last time. A "neighbour from hell" caused a gas explosion which killed a two-year-old boy after cutting a gas pipe to sell for scrap metal, a court has heard. Greenham was facing eviction proceedings on his property and was hoping to make money from the pipes he cut, according to the prosecution. His parents were also injured in the incident. . Pictured here during his loutish days which he spent terrorising neighbours on Heysham's Mallowdale Avenue, Darren Greenham today (October 5) cut a different figure as he sat in the dock at Preston Crown Court. "This was until I arrived at the hospital to be told that George had died. No-one should put their child to bed at night, in a place of safety, and not be able to see them alive again. Joanna White, Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS North West said: This was a tragic case where a young boy lost his life through the reckless and dangerous actions of Darren Greenham, who cut the pipes for financial gain. That person could only be "incompetent at best", Recorder Altham says. The gas meter was also found to have been bypassed in order to steal gas, Lancashire Police said. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Darren and Sharon Greenham are fighting for their lives after the explosion that killed two-year-old neighbour George Hinds. He lived his life without regard for the comfort of those who were unfortunate enough to live adjacent to him.". The damage caused in the explosion affected 55 properties and the value of just those who answered police enquiries was in excess of half a million pounds. In his basis of plea, he said that he believed the gas had been turned off by Marsh. A third defendant, Paul Marsh, 54, from Heysham, also pleaded not guilty to damaging a gas meter and theft of gas. In March 2021, the gas meter in the property was badly damaged and soon after copper pipes could be seen all over the house having been removed "seemingly at random". Darren Greenham. 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As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 52, and Darren Greenham, 44, both of Ambleside Avenue, Lancaster . Read about our approach to external linking. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. George Hinds was two-years-old when he died in the blast in May 2021. . ', Pictured: the ruins of two terraced houses on Mallowdale Avenue in Heysham completely destroyed by an explosion, The scene on the following morning at Mallowdale Avenue, Heysham after a gas explosion completely destroyed both houses, Pictured: The homes in Heysham (pictured in September 2016) where married couple Darren and Sharon Greenham lived (right) and Stephen Hinds and Vicki Studholme lived with their two-year-old son George (left) in Mallowdale Avenue, Huge urgent police search for missing baby of Constance Marten, Chaos at schools after pupils protest over uniform and toilet policies, TikTok video shows Unity Academy Blackpool pupils protesting, Mallorca sees significant snowfall in unseasonable freak weather, Police search allotment sheds for Constance Marten's missing baby, Police: Urgent search for Constance Marten's missing baby, Steve Baker: Brexit 'cost me my mental health. He said: "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.". Pictured here during his loutish days which he spent terrorising neighbours on Heyshams Mallowdale Avenue, Darren Greenham today (October 5) cut a different figure as he sat in the dock at Preston Crown Court. Darren Greenham, 45 . He said Greenham, who was dependent on alcohol and drugs, made the lives of his neighbours a "misery" and would play music until the early hours and insult George. The subsequent explosion killed George Hinds, whose family lived next . The man who caused a gas explosion at a house in Heysham which killed two-year-old George Hinds has today been jailed. Love you so so so so much x. 4 October 2022, 0:51 pm. Emergency services were called to the scene of the blast in Heysham, Lancashire, in the early hours of May 16 last year. This man has been jailed. He instead awarded 15% credit and rubbished a contention that serious injuries suffered by Greenham could be considered as mitigation. A co-defendant, Paul Marsh, was accused of damaging the gas meter in Greenhams home to cut bills. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Detective Chief Insp Jane Webb, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: 'My thoughts first and foremost remain with George's family and loved ones at this time, as well as those others affected by this incident. Toddler George Hinds died in the blast, which destroyed two homes and damaged another on Mallowdale Avenue on 16 May 2021. A man has been sentenced for causing the death of toddler George Arthur Hinds who tragically died in a gas explosion at his family home in Heysham. The sentencing is in relation to Operation Kelton, the fatal gas explosion in Mallowdale Avenue, Heysham on May 16, 2021, which . He was also abusive when drunk and on drugs, as were his visitors. 5 George Arthur Hinds, aged two years and 10 months, who died following a suspected gas explosion in Heysham. Two-year-old George Hinds died in the explosion in Heysham, Lancashire, on May 16 last year after Darren Greenham, 45, used an angle grinder to cut the pipe while drunk and under the influence of drugs in the early hours of the morning. Darren Greenham has stolen the opportunity for my mum and Stephen's mum and dad to be grandparents. A. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. The drunk and drugged up neighbour whose reckless actions caused a huge gas explosion, killing a two-year-old boy, has been jailed for 15 years. 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". Today, Darren Greenham, 45, was sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to George's . VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. News you can trust since 1837. . Despite denials in interview and again at court, Greenham later accepted that he had cut the copper pipes in his property, intending to sell them for scrap. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to A gas investigator from the health and safety executive carried out an extensive investigation into the explosion and confirmed that a main 22mm pipe under the floorboard at the top of the stairs had been deliberately cut and this had caused the explosion between 20 and 42 minutes after the gas began to escape. Darren Greenham, 45, used an angle grinder to cut the . Darren Greenham, 45, used an angle grinder to cut the pipe in the early hours of May 16 last year, causing the huge explosion which killed George Hinds. Greenham, who suffered a serious head injury and 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. Staff arrange donations at the Hurley Flyer pub in Heysham after a gas blast that killed a young child and destroyed three houses. This is the face of the man whose wicked and selfish actions took the life of a much loved and cherished two-year-old boy. The tears havent stopped. He was stripping the pipes to sell for 400 to buy a car, the court heard. "Darren Greenham is a truly selfish and wicked man whose main motivation in the build-up to the fatal explosion was financial greed. . Two-year-old died in explosion after Darren Greenham cut pipe in Heysham home while intoxicated. Heather Brandwood, manager of the Hurley Flyer pub, set up a GoFundMe appeal after seeing the explosion on the news and also helped collect donations of basics including clothing and toiletries in the aftermath of the explosion. What's he waiting for? In December 2021, Sharon Greenham, 52, and Darren Greenham, 44, both of Ambleside Avenue, Lancaster, were . He was forced to listen as Recorder Robert Altham outlined his dangerous behaviour which led to the death of much loved toddler George Hinds. 20 came to be cut and those enquiries are complex and lengthy. "Not just in terms of the untold misery his actions have caused to Georges loved ones and the wider community of Heysham, but also in terms of his abhorrent behaviour in the months and years previous to that fateful morning. George Hinds died after neighbour Darren Greenham cut a pipe in his own home in Heysham, Lancashire, in 2021. A man has been sentenced for causing the death of toddler George Arthur Hinds who tragically died in a gas explosion at his family home in Heysham. . ", The family were praised for their dignity by Judge Robert Altham. He had plagued the lives of his neighbours for five years before he took that of little George Hinds in May last year. 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