Faulty boiler 'was cause of Corfu deaths'

Article date : 05/03/2010

Errors in installation and failures in the maintenance of a gas boiler at a holiday home in Corfu led to the death of two children from the UK, a court has heard.

In 2006, Robert and Christianne Shepherd, who were aged six and seven, died after deadly carbon monoxide fumes leaked from the boiler into their accommodation.

Thomas Cook employees Nicola Gibson, 25, and Richard Carson, 27, have since been charged with manslaughter and negligence.

One boiler engineer speaking in court told how when he later investigated the boiler he found it to be one of the worst installations he had seen in 50 years.

"If any reasonable person that had any reasonable knowledge that could inspect that boiler - they did not need to be a rocket scientist to know something was wrong," he added.

The children's mother Sharon Wood said that the appliance looked very rusty when she saw it and as if it had been leaking for some time, adding that she believed it was the tour operator's duty to carry out a regular gas and boiler service.

In the UK, Britons are urged to have one boiler service a year, carried out by a member of the Gas Safe register, in order to quickly identify if the appliance poses a risk of carbon monoxide leakage.

Written by Jasper Cullen

ADNFCR-1600-ID-19653474-ADNFCR