“Neighbor from Hell” has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after causing a gas explosion that killed a toddler when he cut pipes to sell them for scrap.
Two-year-old George Hinds died in the explosion in Heysham, Lancashireon 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 morning hours.
Convict him of manslaughter on 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 unlucky enough to live next door to him.”
George’s father, Stephen Hinds, held a Paw Patrol toy as he watched the sentencing from the public gallery with George’s mother, Vicki Studholme, and several other neighbors.
The judge praised George’s parents, who have lived in a caravan since the explosion, for their dignity and said he shared their “misunderstanding” that someone could risk the lives of so many to steal “a few pieces of copper”. . pipes”.
Greenham, 45, who lived next door to the Hinds family on Mallowdale Avenue, was described by Mrs Studholme as a “neighbour from hell”.
In a statement read to the court on Wednesday as the hearing began, Ms Studholme said: “After the explosion, being trapped in the rubble was the most fearful I had ever been in my life.
“This was until I arrived at the hospital to learn that George had passed away.
“Never have I felt so scared as at that moment in my life.”
By Darren Greenham Cutting A Gas Pipe To Earn A Few Pounds I’ve Lost My Son My Absolute World
The explosion completely destroyed Greenham’s Lancashire County Council property and caused serious damage to the two adjacent terraced houses.
The court heard that a total of 55 properties were damaged in the blast, which happened at 2:36 am.
Prosecutor Timothy Cray KC said Greenham had gone through eviction proceedings and had cut pipes in the property with the intention of selling them for scrap.
On Tuesday, Mr Hinds told the court, “Because Darren Greenham cut a gas pipe to earn a few pounds, I’ve 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 gas theft in August.
Another defendant, Paul Marsh, who allegedly modified the gas meter owned by Greenham so that 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 one-month sentences on charges of damaging the meter and stealing gas.