A FORMER Island Energy employee, accused of ten counts of gross-negligence manslaughter, told police officers he was “almost sure” he had closed the gas valves the day before the explosion.
In a video interview which was played to jurors yesterday, Neil Armstrong told investigators he had questioned afterwards whether he had replaced all the valves.
“I’m running it over and over in my head,” he told officers. “But I’m sure, I’m almost sure that I did because it’s something that I would need to do.”
In interview, Mr Armstrong described going alone to Haut du Mont after the gas supply was cut and checking the gas cupboards serving the blocks.
He said he removed a plug from a valve, opened it slightly to check there was no pressure, then closed the valve and replaced the plug before moving through the blocks
The 58-year-old is charged with ten counts of gross negligence manslaughter alongside his former Island Energy colleagues John Wright (60) and Lee Ward (59).
Jersey Gas, which trades as Island Energy, also denies two alleged breaches of the Health and Safety at Work (Jersey) Law 1989.
Mr Armstrong led an Island Energy network operations team consisting of his two co-defendants at the time of the blast on 10 December 2022.
The court heard yesterday that Mr Armstrong did not return to Haut du Mont to check the flats following reports of a strong smell of gas.
Explaining why, Mr Armstrong said: “Well, I’d been there. I knew what I’d opened, I knew what I’d closed.”
Instead, Mr Armstrong said he went to Commercial Buildings and spent around 20 minutes checking the excavation and surrounding area and that no gas was detected.
But when investigators asked whether he had also checked Haut du Mont, he replied: “No.” He said he understood at the time that the reported smell had come from around Commercial Buildings.
The explosion happened several hours later.
Earlier yesterday, former Island Energy HR consultant Kimberley Patterson told jurors that Mr Armstrong had been working with “very little supervision”.
She said his department had been “run poorly”, record-keeping was “very poor”, and his work was not properly checked or audited. Ms Patterson also described wider problems within the company, telling the court it had been “neglected by management”.
The trial continues.
