A gas fitter has been sentenced to six months in prison after a elderly gentleman sustained severe burns at his home in Manchester. Peter Smith was in a coma for three months following the explosion in 2011 and suffered 58% burns to his skin. The incident took place when Mr Smith was making lunch and switched on the gas hob on his cooker. The spark ignited gas that had accumulated in the house after leaking from a hole in one of the pipes.
On 29th November 2013 Manchester Crown Court heard how 22-year-old Christopher Laffin, an employee at AWL Plumbing and Heating Ltd had damaged live electrical wires whilst he was putting in a new boiler at Mr Smith’s home earlier in the month, which caused a hole to burn in the pipe. The electrical wires were damaged after he used a blow torch to solder together the gas pipes that ran alongside them. Instead of repairing the cables, Mr Laffin covered them in plastic tape, the court heard, despite them being badly charred. Mr Smith didn’t know that gas was leaking as he is lacking a sense of smell. His home was considerably damaged as a consequence of the incident.
Mr Laffin was handed a six month prison sentence and suspended for two years, meaning he will be sent to prison if he commits another offence within the next two years. Mr Laffin will also be subject to a curfew for the following 6 months and instructed to carry out community service work after pleading guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act along with £1000 in prosecution costs.