A man who cut a gas pipe in his own property, causing an explosion which killed two-year-old George Arthur Hinds, has been jailed for 15 years.
Little George died in a gas explosion at his family home in Heysham, near Morecambe, in May 2021.
This is George Arthur Hinds.
— Lancashire Police (@LancsPolice) October 5, 2022
George was only two years and 10 months old when he tragically died in a gas explosion at his family home in Heysham, in May 2021. pic.twitter.com/b6oh5NoaDe
Today, Darren Greenham, 45, was sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to George’s manslaughter.
Preston Crown Court heard how Greenham cut a gas pipe in his own property with an angle grinder, planning to steal the pipework. The gas meter was also found to have been bypassed so he could steal gas.
This resulted in an explosion, destroying several homes, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage, and killing an innocent toddler.
Police were called at 2.40am on the day in question, and were met with total devastation.
An investigation found Greenham 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 for manslaughter at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday, The Honourary Recorder of Preston Judge Robert Altham said: “Mr Greenham 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 explosion, 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”.
Greenham, 45, who lived next door to the Hinds family on Mallowdale Avenue, was described as a “neighbour from hell” by Ms Studholme.
In a statement read to the court when the sentencing hearing started on Wednesday, Ms Studholme 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.”
The explosion completely destroyed Greenham’s Lancashire County Council-owned property and caused severe damage to the two neighbouring terraced properties.
The court heard a total of 55 properties were damaged in the blast, which happened at 2.36am.
Timothy Cray KC, prosecuting, said Greenham had been facing eviction proceedings and had been cutting pipes in the property with the intention of selling them for scrap.
On Tuesday, 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.”
Greenham, who suffered a serious head injury and lost much of the use of his right hand in the explosion, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, damaging a gas meter and theft of gas in August.
Another defendant, Paul Marsh, who was said to have altered the gas meter in Greenham’s property so gas could be received for free, was charged with damaging a gas meter and theft of gas, but died before his trial.
Greenham, who showed no emotion in the dock, was given concurrent sentences of one month for the charges of damaging the meter and theft of gas.
Following his sentencing, DCI Jane Webb, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: “Greenham is 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’s worth of damage.
“To describe Darren as the neighbour from hell would be a massive understatement.
"Not just in terms of the untold misery his actions have caused to George’s 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.
"This included sickening abuse and insults directed at his neighbours, setting bonfires in his garden and dousing items in petrol, regular late-night DIY activities and more.
“No sentence will ever make up for the loss of George’s life or reflect the pain and misery Greenham 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.
"I am satisfied that he has been convicted of the serious offence of manslaughter and that George’s family have some sense of closure knowing that the case against the man responsible for his death has concluded.”
A 52-year-old woman from Lancashire will face a trial over an allegation of theft of gas at a later date.
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