Plumber cleared of manslaughter in gas leak case

A tragic story that began with a plumber working on a hotel gas boiler, followed days later by the death by carbon monoxide poisoning of a woman, ended yesterday with a jury finding the plumber and his company not guilty.

Richard Davis, aged 46, from Serenity, Killanully, Ballygarvan, Co Cork, was found not guilty at Cork Circuit Court before Judge Sen O Donnabhin of the manslaughter of Miriam Reidy, 35, and two counts under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

Daviss company, Davis Heating and Plumbing Contractors of Marina Commercial Park in Cork, was found not guilty of two similar health and safety act counts relating to the conversion of a gas boiler at the Trident Hotel on Jan 4, 2011. The jury deliberated for four and a half hours before returning with five not-guilty verdicts.

Defence senior counsel Michael OHiggins claimed several other design and construction issues in the hotel and other matters that pre-dated the installation of the gas boiler were responsible for the poisonous carbon monoxide not disappearing harmlessly into the sky.

Prosecution senior counsel Brendan Grehan claimed Mr Davis incorrectly converted a gas boiler, leaving it spewing out lethal quantities of carbon monoxide.

Mr Davis had gone to the hotel on January 4, 2011 to put a new boiler into use, converting it to allow for use with liquid petroleum gas rather than natural gas by the insertion of a chip. The prosecution claimed he did insert a chip, but it would appear he never read the guidelines that came with the chip; did not carry out any adjustment to the boiler; and did not test it afterwards for a possible leak.

Members of the Reidy family attended the trial and gave evidence. Patricia Reidy-Russell told how she and her sister shared a room at the hotel that night.

They had been at a hen night and most of the group were partying until about 5am. However, Miriam and Patricia left at about 1am, walking back to their hotel. They both became ill and Patricia called a doctor, who treated them for the winter vomiting bug. Pathologist Margaret Bolster testified that the first symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning were more or less the same as those for flu or cold.

Miriam died in the hotel room. Patricia woke a couple of days later in the intensive care unit of Cork University Hospital.

She said: I tried so hard to save her... but the efforts I made were not enough.

Read the rest here:
Plumber cleared of manslaughter in gas leak case