Latest news with #ReeceGalbraith
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Council seeks to claw back fatal explosion cost
Council bosses will try to claw back some of the multimillion-pound cost to the public purse caused by a drugs lab explosion that killed a seven-year-old boy. Reece Galbraith was jailed this week for 14 years for causing the blast in Violet Close, Benwell, in Newcastle, in which Archie York and 35-year-old Jason Laws died last October. The site of the explosion will remain grassed-over until a consultation with Archie's family and the wider community on if the houses should be rebuilt, Newcastle City Council said. The authority also confirmed it would be seeking to claim back some of the estimated £3.7m of costs incurred by the incident on insurance. It is unclear at this stage how much it may be able to recoup or how long that might take, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. 'My son was killed by criminals making cannabis' Drug dealer who killed boy, 7, in explosion jailed Explosion community 'relieved but still in pain' After Galbraith's sentencing, the local authority said that the incident had an "enormous, confounding impact on the community, staff and all those involved and has drained finances and resources in what are already difficult times". Civic centre bosses estimated £1.5m has been spent on the management, demolition, and reinstatement of the scene of the explosion, as well as supporting displaced families – many of whom lost not only their home, but all of their personal belongings. The explosion in the early hours of 16 October saw 142 residents from 51 homes, evacuated. Twelve properties affected by the blast have since been demolished and ten households have been permanently rehoused. The council also estimated that rebuilding those 12 lost homes would cost it about £1.9m – though bosses have stressed that it would only do so "if and when the time feels right" and following consultation with Archie's family and the wider community. That area has been grassed over to create a "space for quiet reflection" before any further consideration of its future use. A loss of rent and council tax income makes up the remainder of the stated £3.7m cost and would not be covered by insurance. Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Explosion community 'relieved but still in pain' 'My son was killed by criminals making cannabis' Drug dealer who killed boy, 7, in explosion jailed Newcastle City Council
BBC News
18-05-2025
- BBC News
Newcastle City Council seeks to claw back Benwell explosion cost
Council bosses will try to claw back some of the multimillion-pound cost to the public purse caused by a drugs lab explosion that killed a seven-year-old Galbraith was jailed this week for 14 years for causing the blast in Violet Close, Benwell, in Newcastle, in which Archie York and 35-year-old Jason Laws died last site of the explosion will remain grassed-over until a consultation with Archie's family and the wider community on if the houses should be rebuilt, Newcastle City Council authority also confirmed it would be seeking to claim back some of the estimated £3.7m of costs incurred by the incident on insurance. It is unclear at this stage how much it may be able to recoup or how long that might take, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. 'My son was killed by criminals making cannabis' Drug dealer who killed boy, 7, in explosion jailedExplosion community 'relieved but still in pain' After Galbraith's sentencing, the local authority said that the incident had an "enormous, confounding impact on the community, staff and all those involved and has drained finances and resources in what are already difficult times".Civic centre bosses estimated £1.5m has been spent on the management, demolition, and reinstatement of the scene of the explosion, as well as supporting displaced families – many of whom lost not only their home, but all of their personal belongings. The explosion in the early hours of 16 October saw 142 residents from 51 homes, properties affected by the blast have since been demolished and ten households have been permanently rehoused. The council also estimated that rebuilding those 12 lost homes would cost it about £1.9m – though bosses have stressed that it would only do so "if and when the time feels right" and following consultation with Archie's family and the wider area has been grassed over to create a "space for quiet reflection" before any further consideration of its future use.A loss of rent and council tax income makes up the remainder of the stated £3.7m cost and would not be covered by insurance. Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
17-05-2025
- BBC News
Benwell explosion community 'relieved but still in pain'
A community area devastated by an explosion at a cannabis factory which left a man and a seven-year-old boy dead has been described as "relieved but still in pain" following the end of the court Galbraith, 33, of Gateshead, was jailed for 14 years for the blast at Violet Close in Benwell, Newcastle, in October 2024 which killed Archie York and Jason Laws and forced 120 people from their Community Centre provided emotional support and co-ordinated donations of clothes, toys and essential items for those operations manager Amy Sturdy said the sentence offered "some closure, but it doesn't take away the pain or the lasting effects of the tragedy". Mrs Sturdy said: "The mood in the area is a mix of relief and lingering anger."No sentence can truly replace what was lost."Those evacuated in the hours after the blast on 16 October had now been rehoused or returned to Violet Close, Newcastle City Council said. Thinking back to the aftermath of the blast, Mrs Sturdy said people were in disbelief, deeply shocked and sad."It was something they had never anticipated."The hub on Armstrong Road received thousands of donations from across north-east England, and Mrs Sturdy said: "The sense of community spirit was heartwarming and showed the true heart of the North East." 'My son was killed by criminals making cannabis' She thanked the people who donated at the time and those who "tirelessly" volunteered."The generosity and compassion has been heartwarming," she said,"The community spirit in Benwell has been incredible, as it always is." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Times
14-05-2025
- Times
Drug dealer jailed for killing boy, 7, in ‘cannabis lab' explosion
A drug dealer whose cannabis gummy factory caused an explosion in a block of flats which killed a seven-year-old boy has been jailed for 14 years. Reece Galbraith, 33, was using gas canisters to run a 'drug lab', which exploded in October last year. Archie York, who lived in the flat above, died in the blast, as did Jason Laws, 35, a friend of Galbraith's who was helping to run the drug factory in Benwell, Newcastle upon Tyne. Archie was asleep on the sofa when his home was 'blown apart'. His mother, Katherine Errington, and his seven-week old brother, Finley, were pulled alive from the rubble. The explosion destroyed six of the 12 flats in the block and left many families homeless. Galbraith was found
Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Telegraph
Moment cannabis lab explodes, killing seven-year-old boy
The moment a cannabis factory exploded, killing a seven-year-old boy, has been captured on CCTV. Archie York, who was asleep in a flat above, died after a makeshift laboratory set up to make marijuana gummy sweets exploded and ripped through the building in Newcastle upon Tyne. On Wednesday, Katherine Errington, Archie's mother, confronted her son's killer at his sentencing hearing. Reece Galbraith, 33, and his friend Jason Laws, 35, had been running a cannabis operation in the flat beneath Ms Errington's home on Violet Close, Benwell, when it exploded early on Oct 16. Laws was also killed in the blast. Galbraith, from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, admitted two counts of manslaughter as well as possessing and supplying cannabis at a hearing last month. At Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday, Galbraith was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in the explosion which destroyed six out of the 12 flats in the apartment block. Before he was jailed, Ms Errington delivered a victim impact statement in which she accused him of 'taking risks for profit' and 'not caring who got hurt'. Speaking through tears, she addressed Galbraith directly, saying: 'You brought gas canisters into a building where families lived. You ran a drugs operation under the floor where my children slept.' Shouting at him while sobbing, she continued: 'You killed my son.' She said that Galbraith had not only taken her eldest son from her, but he had also stolen 'our peace, our safety, our home and our future'. 'We are not who we used to be. We are the parents of a child who was killed in his own home while he slept,' she said. 'Highly dangerous' process Police investigating the explosion discovered that the flat operated by Galbraith and Laws was used as a 'drugs lab' to produce cannabis concentrates, known as 'shatter' or 'butane honey oil', in a highly dangerous process. The product was then turned into cannabis edibles, also known as 'gummies'. Archie was asleep on the sofa with his father, Robbie York, when the blast ripped through the home he shared with his parents and his seven-week-old brother, Finley. Ms Errington was pulled out of the rubble by Mr York, who also found seven-week-old Finley, covered in dust but 'astonishingly unharmed'. Mr York could not find Archie and later had to identify him by dental records, and the pyjamas he was wearing when he died. The court heard Archie's dog, Chase, had also been killed in the blast. Ms Errington said the force of the explosion was so severe that they were unable to bury Archie for nearly three months. 'We weren't allowed to see him, hold him or to kiss him goodbye,' she said, adding: 'It broke us in ways I didn't know were possible.' Describing her son as a cheeky boy who was 'full of life and dreams', Ms Errington said that now 'all she had was memories'. Ms Errington said she was 'furious' when she was informed within a week of Archie's death that 'shatter' was being made in the flat below. Mr York said he felt 'nothing but anger' towards Galbraith and Laws, adding he had 'no sympathy' for the latter's death. 'They were making drugs whilst my family slept upstairs unaware of the danger that was below us,' Mr York said. David Brooke KC, prosecuting, said Laws had been using the flat for months and there was 'little purpose' for it other than the production of cannabis. Mr Brooke said Galbraith had been at the flat on the evening of the explosion and his fingerprint was found on one of the butane bottles at the property. A bag containing packages of cannabis sweets was found in Laws's car. Both Laws's and Galbraith's DNA was on some of the packets. Explosion caused by liquid butane gas At the time of the explosion, Galbraith was already being investigated for being concerned in the supply of cannabis, after police stopped his car in April and found a cannabis bush, a set of scales and cannabis sweets. Officers later found 250 cannabis sweets, moulds and 300g of a sweet mixture when they searched his house. He was released pending further investigation. Experts found that the explosion was caused by the ignition of liquid butane gas, which had been released and built up within the premises as part of the illegal 'shatter' production. More than 100 butane canisters were found in the flat, Mr Brooke said, as well as other 'sophisticated and expensive equipment'. The court heard the blast had had 'an enormous impact locally' and 10 households had to be permanently rehoused. Jailing Galbraith, the judge, Mr Justice Cotter, said: 'Archie York was just a seven-year-old with a wonderful and exciting life ahead of him. His parents have so movingly explained, their world was shattered on October 16 when their flat was blown apart and they woke up buried under the rubble, dazed, bleeding and terrified to realise their precious son had been lost.' He added: 'Violet Close was a close-knit, multi-racial community with many families that was literally blown apart as a result of your illegal activities in their midst, regardless of the clear risks to others. 'You bear responsibility for all this loss and destruction.' Speaking after the sentencing, Ms Errington pleaded with anyone involved in making 'shatter' to stop. She said: 'It's a horrible process which has caused the death of my son. So, even if people are planning to do it, or are doing it now, you've got time to stop, you could save a life.'
