Three men charged over fatal flat explosion

Police said three men had been charged with gross negligence manslaughter in relation to the explosion at the Haut du Mont residential flats

Three men have been charged with gross negligence manslaughter in relation to an explosion in a block of flats in Jersey.

Ten residents died after the incident at Haut du Mont, St Helier, on 10 December 2022.

The States of Jersey Police said it had charged Neil Armstrong, 56, Lee Ward, 57, and John Wright, 59, who all worked for gas supplier Island Energy at the time of the explosion.

The force said each of the men was facing 10 separate charges which relate to the 10 people who died.

The residents who died were 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, Raymond Brown, 71, and Kathy McGinness, 73.

Det Supt Alison Fossey, who led the investigation, said: "These charges are the culmination of a two-year investigation that has been the largest and most complex in the States of Jersey Police's 70-year history."

All the charges are expected to be heard at Jersey's Magistrate's Court on 14 March, police added.