Trial Date Set in Jersey Explosion Manslaughter Case

Jersey Gas Workers to Face Jury Trial Over Fatal Flat Explosion

Three former gas engineers charged in connection with a deadly explosion at a Jersey apartment complex are set to go on trial in September 2026.

Lee Ward, 58, Neil Armstrong, 57, and John Wright, 59, appeared before Jersey’s Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Each has entered a not-guilty plea to 10 counts of gross negligence manslaughter, relating to the deaths of 10 residents at the Haut du Mont flats in St Helier in December 2022.

A jury will hear the case, with the trial scheduled to begin on 7 September 2026.

The court also agreed to merge the manslaughter proceedings with a separate health and safety prosecution against Island Energy. The gas supplier, represented in court by chief executive Graeme Millar, has denied two charges of failing to ensure public safety during the events leading up to the blast. Evidence in that case will be heard during the same trial.

In an earlier development, the States Employment Board (SEB) admitted two offences under Jersey’s health and safety at work legislation. The charges related to the actions of the island’s fire and rescue service and its emergency control room on 9 December 2022, the day before the explosion.

Commissioner Sir John Saunders, who is overseeing the proceedings, ruled that sentencing for the SEB will be deferred until after the manslaughter trial concludes. A provisional sentencing date has been scheduled for 4 December 2026.