TWO Island Energy workers have been found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter over the deaths of ten people in the Haut du Mont explosion.
Neil Armstrong (58) and John Wright (60) had denied all ten charges relating to the explosion on 10 December 2022, but jurors found both men guilty after almost a week of deliberations.
Jersey Gas, which trades as Island Energy, was also found guilty of both breaches of the Health and Safety at Work (Jersey) Law 1989.
The verdicts against both men and the company were unanimous, following 25 hours and eight minutes of jury deliberations.
Haut du Mont residents Peter Bowler (72), Billy Marsden (62), Derek Ellis (61), Sylvia Ellis (73), Ken Ralph (72), Jane Ralph (71), Romeu De Almeida (67), Louise De Almeida (64) and Raymond Brown (71) died in the blast.
Kathy McGinness (73), who lived in an adjacent block at Haut du Mont, was injured as a result of the explosion and died at the General Hospital on Christmas Day that year.
People cried in the public gallery as the victims’ names were read out one by one alongside the ten manslaughter charges.
Armstrong kept his head bowed and his hands clasped together, his eyes fixed on the floor throughout. Advocate Mark Boothman rubbed his client Wright’s shoulder.
Armstrong and Wright were both remanded in custody until sentencing.
The jury has yet to reach verdicts on Island Energy colleague Lee Ward (59), who denies the same charges. The judge has now given a majority direction, meaning jurors no longer all have to agree for a verdict to be accepted.
During the trial, which lasted more than six weeks, the prosecution argued that the three workers made a “series of mistakes” while attempting to disconnect the gas supply to Haut du Mont the day before the explosion – including cutting the wrong pipe, leaving a valve open and failing to carry out a safety test.
But it was also argued that the problems went beyond the actions of the three men. Island Energy was accused of “systemic failings” in its training and supervision of staff, “inconsistent” policies and a failure to put in place controls “which are standard in the gas industry”.
Full story in tomorrow’s JEP…
