Plumber told garda he tested boiler for leaks

A plumber on trial for manslaughter arising out of a gas leak at the Trident hotel in Kinsale, Co Cork, had told garda he had tested the boiler for possible leaks with a computerised testing device. But the accused later stated he had not done so.

The accused mans own lawyer said yesterday what Richard Davis first told garda, in this regard, was untrue and he clarified it.

Mr Davis, aged 44, from Serenity, Killanully, Ballygarvan, Co Cork, is on trial for manslaughter of Miriam Reidy, and two breaches of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

His company, Davis Heating and Plumbing Contractors, of Marina Commercial Park, Cork, is charged with two similar breaches of the act relating to the conversion of a gas boiler at the Trident on January 4, 2011. All charges are denied.

Judge Sen Donnabhin and a jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court were told yesterday of a pre-prepared statement made by Mr Davis to Garda Michael Brosnan at Kinsale Garda Station on January 10.

Ms Reidy was found dead in her hotel bedroom at lunchtime the previous day.

In his statement, he said he worked as a plumber for 26 years and had completed the recognised courses to be a gas installer, and his company had carried out work at the Trident for 25 years.

Mr Davis said he had a Kane analyser, which he described as effectively a handheld computer to take readings from boilers and store them on the computer and print an information ticket with the reading.

On January 4, Mr Davis was in Kinsale for some other work and inserted a chip into a Worchester Bosch Greenstar Forty CD 1 boiler at the Trident so it could be used with liquid petroleum gas as it was configured at that time for natural gas. I put in the chip in one of the new boilers and did an analysis with the Kane analyser. Everything was OK and I fired up the boiler, Mr Davis said in his first statement.

During the trial yesterday, Michael OHiggins, defending, said: Any suggestion that the Kane analyser was used on January 4 is incorrect. It is untrue. That was later clarified to the garda to their satisfaction.

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Plumber told garda he tested boiler for leaks