15 Years in Prison for Blowing up 2 Homes Killing Young Child .
In the News
A "neighbour from hell" who caused a gas explosion which killed a two-year-old boy after cutting a pipe to sell for scrap metal has been jailed.
Darren Greenham, 45, used an angle grinder to cut the pipe in the early hours of May 16 last year, causing the huge explosion which killed George Hinds.
His family lived in the neighbouring property in Mallowdale Avenue, Heysham, Lancashire.
Greenham has today been jailed for 15 years and two months after a two-day sentencing hearing at Preston Crown Court.
Recorder Robert Altham said it was a miracle no-one else was killed, adding the defendant was likely unaware of the obvious smell and sound of the gas leak due to being intoxicated.
George's mum Vicky Hinds was trapped for two hours before being pulled from the rubble.
The judge said she and husband Stephen Hinds are still living in a caravan and had to borrow money after losing their home and all their possessions.
Mr Hinds told the court yesterday: "By Darren Greenham cutting a gas pipe to make a few quid I have lost my son, my absolute world."
He said Greenham, who was dependent on alcohol and drugs, made the lives of his neighbours a "misery" and would play music until the early hours and insult George.
Mr Hinds, who wore a blue Paw Patrol tie and took a Paw Patrol toy into the witness box with him, said: "It makes my blood boil now, I always did the right thing and reported it to the council and the police, nothing was ever done."
Absolutely shocking the meagre sentence given to Darren Greenham. He should have been given life instead with no parole for 25 years.
Am i missing something here S
If he was cutting the gas pipe with an angle grinder surely he would have gotten the full force of the blast, igniting the gas with the sparks ?
Surely he couldn't have survived the explosion , where was the young boy at the time ?
It just seems rough justice if he did survive and the little lad didn't
Edited
Just found the story S, he didnt get off scot free, he lost a hand in the explosion and many properties were damaged as well as the poor boy
They were also fiddling the meter so that may have contributed to the gas leak and explosion
consent.yahoo.com/v2/collectConsent?sessionId=3_cc-session_46907b30-455e-4d0c-8be3-4b3b494019a7
telmel Nowhere does it say the angle grinder ignited the gas to cause the explosion the explosion probably occurred after the leaking gas had accumulated and was ignited by some other source... possibly a light switch (causing the explosion) not saying it can't happen but various experiments have shown that sparks from angle grinders will not ignite gas.
This showing that petroleum (Gasoline) could not be ignited using an angle grinder's sparks might surprise some people.
davidstockport agree d not very clear what happened, but they were getting free gas so could have been a leak that caused it, who knows
Not only did he destroy two houses, but also murdered a child, yet he only gets 15 years? U.K. "justice." 
Today three people were stabbed and yet, people aren't allowed to legally carry pepper spray or a taser to protect themselves. There should be backlash as they stripped citizens from self-defense protection.
PhilipMarc For it to be MURDER it would require the person committing any unlawful killing, no matter how reckless, to have some INTENT of killing, In this instance (no direct intent) it would be involuntary manslaughter.
Incidentally (copied from elsewhere):
What is the sentence for involuntary manslaughter UK?
An individual found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence faces a custodial sentence of up to 12 years. On the other hand, those found guilty of manslaughter by unlawful or dangerous act face a custodial sentence of up to 18 years.
Presumably this was a rented property he was pulling apart for a few pounds. It would have been counter-productive financially if he was damaging his own home. What a horrific person he must be. I've been pro the death penalty for quite a few years but only for sadistic violent offenders which this doesn't cover but still I feel this person is unsuitable to be ever released back into any community. I feel like one of our islands somewhere should be made into a very basic town where these people can live a bit like Escape from New York. Just a basic settlement away from anywhere and just let them get on with it. If they want to kill each other so be it although I wouldn't be sending violent offenders to it just people who don't have any consideration for the wellfare of others despite not actually being violent themselves typically. There will be no access to drink or drugs.
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