Jersey explosion: Manslaughter trial date set

The explosion in December 2022 killed 10 people

Three former gas workers accused of manslaughter in connection to a fatal explosion at a block of flats in Jersey are due to stand trial in September next year.

Lee Ward, 58, Neil Armstrong, 57, and John Wright, 59, appeared at Jersey's Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

The three men have each pleaded not guilty to 10 separate counts of gross negligence manslaughter, relating to 10 residents of the Haut du Mont flats in St Helier who died in December 2022.

The court decided they would be tried by a jury and set a trial date of 7 September 2026.

The court also decided to combine the manslaughter case with a health and safety case against the gas company, Island Energy.

The company, represented by its CEO Graeme Millar, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of failing to keep people safe during the events around the explosion.

Evidence against the company will be heard during the manslaughter trial.

In September this year, the States Employment Board (SEB) pleaded guilty to two charges under the island's health and safety at work law.

The board, which employs the island's public servants, faced charges concerning the actions of Jersey's fire and rescue services and the fire service's emergency control room on 9 December 2022, the day before the explosion.

The relief magistrate managing the case, Commissioner Sir John Saunders, ordered that the SEB's sentencing should be suspended until the conclusion of the manslaughter trial.

A provisional sentencing date was set for 4 December 2026.