‘Neighbour from hell’ who caused gas explosion which killed boy, 2, is jailed for 15 years
A devastated father whose two-year-old boy was killed in a gas explosion – caused by a ‘selfish’ neighbour cutting a gas pipe so he could sell it for scrap metal – today said he wished it had been him who had died so his son could still ‘be with his mummy’.
Youngster George Hinds was tragically killed May last year after ‘neighbour from hell’ Darren Greenham used an angle grinder to cut a gas pipe.
Around 20 minutes later, a huge explosion later rocked the street, in Heysham, Lancashire, killing the two-year-old and injuring four others – including George’s parents Vicky Studholme and Stephen Hinds. The massive pressure wave from the blast also damaged 55 properties in the area.
Greenham, 45, was today sentenced to 15 years in prison, after admitting charges of manslaughter, damaging a gas meter and theft of gas in August.
Following the sentencing, George’s heartbroken father appeared outside court with wife Vicky, where he was wearing a Paw Patrol tie and clutching a teddy salvaged from the wreckage of their home.
Earlier, in an emotional victim impact statement read out in court, he had said: ‘By Darren Greenham cutting a gas pipe to make a few quid I have lost my son, my absolute world, I am struggling to put into words how I relive the nightmare of the early hours of the 16th May 2021 every day.’
Mr Hinds, who was injured in the fireball, said: ‘I regret laying in that rubble screaming for help and being pulled out alive.
‘I wish it would have been me that died and George could be with mummy doing magical things all three-year-olds should be doing, going to the park, swimming, opening his birthday presents and going to see Father Christmas.
A ‘neighbour from hell’ caused an enormous gas explosion which killed a ‘beautiful’ two-year-old boy, George Hinds (pictured)
Stephen Hinds and Vicky Studholme, the parents of George Hinds, outside court today following the sentencing of Darren Greenham
Darren Greenham, 45, has been jailed for 15 years after pleaded guilty to the charges of manslaughter, damaging a gas meter and theft of gas in August
The gas explosion flattened two homes and damaged 55 properties in the area
An explosion rocked the street, in Heysham, Lancashire, killing the two-year-old and injuring four others, including George’s parents Vicky Studholme and Stephen Hinds. It also damaged 55 properties in the area. Pictured: A children’s toy at the scene of the explosion
‘I could not bring myself to go in the ambulance with George and the guilt I feel about this is overwhelming. Having arrived at the hospital and seeing seven or eight people working on George’s naked body, to be then told by doctors that there was nothing more that could be done.
‘The image of George laying there with the blanket up to his neck and his blue face will haunt me forever. Even the doctors had tears in their eyes. I honestly thought I was having a nightmare. I remember thumping my head trying to wake myself up.’
Sentencing him for manslaughter at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday, 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 clutched a Paw Patrol toy as he watched the sentencing from the public gallery with George’s mother 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’.
Following sentencing today, Lancashire Police said: ‘Darren 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.
‘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. Our thoughts are with George and his family.’
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.
Lancashire Police said: ‘Darren is a truly selfish and wicked man whose main motivation in the build-up to the fatal explosion was financial greed’
A judge said ‘Mr Greenham was a selfish and disruptive neighbour’ as he sentenced him for manslaughter
The court heard that the explosion at 2.36am destroyed the Lancashire County Council-owned property Greenham lived in and severely damaged the two neighbouring terraced houses
Shocked locals described hearing a sound ‘like a bomb going off’ at the time of the huge explosion, which caused debris to cover nearby streets and fields
A report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the explosion found wooden floorboards had been removed from the first floor landing of the house and gas pipes had been cut deliberately
Timothy Cray KC, prosecuting, said that at the time of the explosion the council was considering taking eviction proceedings after a number of complaints about Greenham’s behaviour
George’s father Stephen Hinds told the hearing at Preston Crown Court that 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.
Mr Hinds, who wore a blue Paw Patrol tie and took a Paw Patrol toy into the witness box with him, said: ‘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 a statement, George’s mother Vicki Studholme said she felt ‘unsafe’ in her home because of Greenham, a ‘neighbour from hell’ who she said made threats of violence towards her, her husband and their son.
She said: ‘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.’
She added: ‘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.’
George’s father clutched a Paw Patrol toy as he watched the sentencing from the public gallery with George’s mother and a number of other neighbours
Darren Greenham (pictured), 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 in Lancashire
The court heard that the explosion at 2.36am destroyed the Lancashire County Council-owned property Greenham lived in and severely damaged the two neighbouring terraced houses.
Shocked locals described hearing a sound ‘like a bomb going off’ at the time of the huge explosion, which caused debris to cover nearby streets and fields.
Timothy Cray KC, prosecuting, said that at the time of the explosion the council was considering taking eviction proceedings after a number of complaints about Greenham’s behaviour.
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.’
The court heard the gas meter in the property had been altered so Greenham could receive gas without paying for it.
A report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the explosion found wooden floorboards had been removed from the first floor landing of the house and gas pipes had been cut deliberately.
The court heard that the explosion at 2.36am destroyed the Lancashire County Council-owned property Greenham lived in and severely damaged the two neighbouring terraced houses (pictured: emergency workers at the scene)
The blast was likely to have happened 20 to 40 minutes after they were cut and there would have been a strong smell of gas and an audible noise before that, the report said
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
The blast was likely to have happened 20 to 40 minutes after they were cut and there would have been a strong smell of gas and an audible noise before that, the report said.
Peter Glenser KC, defending, said Greenham was sober for the first time in ‘many, many years’ since being in custody awaiting sentence.
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.’
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.
