HAUT DU MONT TRIAL: DAY 1
A wrongly cut gas pipe, a crucial safety test allegedly skipped in a rush to restore supply and a valve left open and unplugged were among a “series of mistakes” which prosecutors said culminated in the Haut du Mont disaster as a trial got under way today.
Neil Armstrong (58), John Wright (60) and Lee Ward (59) are accused of unlawfully killing the ten victims of the Haut du Mont explosion on 10 December 2022.
The three men, who all worked in the Network Operations team at Island Energy at the time of the blast, each deny ten counts of gross negligence manslaughter – one for each of those who passed away following the blast.
The defendants appeared at the Royal Court’s new Jubilee Wharf courtroom (pictured top) this morning for the beginning of a trial expected to last two months.
Jersey Gas, which trades as Island Energy, also denies two alleged breaches of the Health and Safety at Work (Jersey) Law 1989.
Opening the case, Crown Advocate Simon Thomas, prosecuting, told jurors there is “no dispute” that the Haut du Mont explosion occurred “because gas has escaped from an open valve at the rear of the block that collapsed”.
The explosion was an incident that was waiting to happen
crown advocate simon thomas, prosecuting
“The prosecution case,” he added, “is that the gas escaped because of work carried out on the gas pipes that supplied Haut du Mont on the previous day, 9th December.
“That work was carried out by the first three defendants: Mr Armstrong, Mr Wright and Mr Ward.”
Crown Advocate Thomas added that the work completed by the three men on 9 December was carried out “not just carelessly”, but “exceptionally badly”.
“So badly,” he continued, “that each of the defendants I’ve just mentioned can properly be said to be guilty of manslaughter.”
Jurors were then told that “quite separately from the exceptionally poor work of the first three defendants”, gas company Island Energy had also “failed to ensure the Health and Safety of both members both members of the public and its employees”.
“They did not comply with accepted standards of safety,” he stated. “It didn’t properly supervise or check the work that its employees were carrying out.
“Such was the failure, that the explosion was an incident that was waiting to happen.”
He described the work completed by the three men prior to the blast as “sloppy, unsafe and cut corners”.
Later, he went on to describe an alleged “series of mistakes” – among them, a key safety test which was allegedly skipped in a rush to restore gas to the nearby St Helier Yacht Club after his team had earlier cut the wrong pipe.
The Crown Advocate said Mr Wright later told investigators that Mr Armstrong instructed him to “forget about a pressure test”, and allegedly stated: “F*** the test, get it back on.”
Commissioner Andrew Oldland is presiding. The trial continues.
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