Mum's 'living nightmare' after drug lab explosion killed her son, 7, as he slept
A mum whose son was killed as he slept at home when a cannabis lab exploded in the flat below has spoken of her living "nightmare". Archie York was just seven years old and safe in his bed when his life was cruelly snatched away.
Today Reece Galbraith was jailed for 14 years manslaughter. Galbraith previously admitted the manslaughter of Archie and Galbraith's friend, 33-year-old Jason 'Jay' Laws, in the blast which wrecked the street and rendered families homeless. Archie's mum Katherine Errington previously spoke out about her devastation, telling ChronicleLive: "It's just been awful. It's like we went to sleep that night and and we haven't woken up from that nightmare.
"It's like we are living in a nightmare. As a parent, and as a mother, you try your best to keep your children safe, and that was took out of my hands. When they are in the house, that's supposed to be the safest place."
Archie and his family were asleep at their home in the Benwell area of Newcastle when the huge explosion occurred on October 16. Katherine, 27, was in one room with her new baby Finley, while Archie and his dad Robbie, 27, slept in another.
Katherine and Robbie were taken to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary for treatment, while little Finley was uninjured. She said: "The RVI was the hospital we got taken to straight after the explosion.
"From the start they were absolutely great. The care and compassion they had after something like this was amazing. They said they had never dealt with anything like this. It is amazing what they done.
"As soon as we got there it was a shock to everyone. They didn't know what had happened. Everyone was so compassionate with all of us. They made sure Finley was ok. I do believe Archie was looking out for him on that night."
Paying tribute to her son, Katherine described Archie as a "happy" little boy who loved playing with his friends. She added: "Archie was a very cheeky little boy, he did light up the room everywhere. He loved playing on Fortnite, he loved playing outside with his friends and he loved going to school. He was just a happy lad."
In the weeks before he died, he had taken to his new role as a big brother with pride. Mum Katherine added: "He was so looking forward to to being a big brother. When I was pregnant he kept saying; 'When is the baby coming?'
"He just loved looking after Finley. He loved changing his nappies and bathing him. He was very hands on. It's just so sad I can't watch them grow up together. That's just been ripped away."
Archie was finally laid to rest in January, three months after the explosion following a Marvel-themed service at Newcastle's West Road Crematorium. In lieu of flowers, the family invited donations to be made to the Newcastle Hospitals Charity. They have since donated hundreds of pounds to the Great North Children's Hospital in Archie's memory.
"Archie was there lying to rest for a good three months," Katherine added. "Whenever I wanted to visit him they let us. They were just really nice from start to finish. It helped a lot, it really did. If that money helps the nurses or anyone else it's going to be on Archie. He was a caring person."
Today, at Newcastle Crown Court, Reece Galbraith was jailed for 14 years for two counts of manslaughter.
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