Cowboy builder walks away from job seconds after causing house to explode
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
A builder who walked away from a job on a Nottingham home following an explosion has avoided jail.
Barry Newman, the sole trader of Foster Brother Builders, was hired to carry out refurbishment works at a property on Commercial Road, Bulwell.
The 51-year-old placed a faulty portable space heater connected to a propane gas can in a cellar to dry out.
On November 22, 2022, the heater exploded due to a gas leak, destroying almost all of the ground floor of the home.
Newman, who suffered burns to his face, hands and scalp, was filmed walking away from the gutted property.
Debris from the blast was propelled onto the road and pavement.
Newman failed to provide correctly maintained and suitable equipment and had not carried out a risk assessment, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found.
The manufacturer's instructions for the heater he used state that the equipment should be placed in a well-ventilated area.
Propane containers should not be stored below ground, where leaked gas is more likely to collect and ignite.
At a hearing at Nottingham Magistrates Court this month, Newman pleaded guilty to breaching regulations regarding the use of building equipment.
The builder was handed a prison sentence of 12 months, suspended for two years. More Trending
He will also have to complete 240 hours of unpaid work as well as pay £2,000 towards the cost of the damage.
Inspector Roy Poulter said: 'This gas explosion has left one man unable to work due to the seriousness of the injuries sustained and it could have easily resulted in someone losing their life.
'This case should serve as a strong reminder to those in the building trade on the dangers of working with gas and the need to assess the risk, and just how serious both HSE and the courts take failures like this.'
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Severe delays on M62 with westbound lane closed after massive lorry fire
MORE: Huge fire on cargo ship sends smoke and 'burning plastic' smell billowing into city centre
MORE: Man arrested after 'flipping over BMW and attacking woman outside hospital'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
Two EastEnders exits in early BBC release as characters flee Walford for good
This article contains spoilers for tonight's episodes of EastEnders, which air on BBC Two at 7pm or can be streamed now on iPlayer. Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris) and Felix Baker (Matthew James Morrison) have called time on their life in Albert Square. It's been a dramatic week, and it's only Tuesday! As viewers of the soap have learnt, Bernie has been stealing thousands of pounds from the Panesar family's business accounts after being made a trustee by twisted patriarch Nish (Navin Chowdhry). He'd took the blame for her brother Keanu's (Danny Walters) murder, but she knew that it was actually six of our favourite East End leading ladies. Fearing that her fraudulent behaviour was about to be exposed, she made a last ditch attempt by pinning the blame on Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig), who had been acting as accountant. To make matters worse for Vicki, she had actually wanted in on the scam, demanding half of the money in exchange for her silence. In the first of today's two episodes, she was furious to see that she still hadn't received her share from Bernie. What she didn't realise was that Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) was plotting his revenge, and he wasn't going to let her off lightly. He lured her partner's son Joel Marshall (Max Murray) into his restaurant, before locking him in the walk-in freezer. Using Joel's phone, Ravi then instructed Vicki to head over to Walford East. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video She pleaded for the Panesars to believe her innocence, and Suki (Balvinder Sopal) gave her the benefit of the doubt. She told Ravi to set Joel free – but Vicki still had 24 hours to confess. Bernie watched on with a smug face, unaware that Ravi had actually clocked onto her devious ways and was actually just buying time to find concrete evidence of her wrongdoings. She booked flights for her and Felix to move to Spain, and then produced her laptop to further incriminate Vicki. Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) then dropped a washing up bowl full of water over the device, so that Ravi could take it 'for repair' – actually getting brother Vinny (Shiv Jalota) to install spyware onto it. The drama continued in the second instalment, as Bernie began to pack her bags and say her goodbyes. She urged Felix to join her, telling him that she'd seen his boyfriend Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) cosying up with Callum Highway (Tony Clay). Felix told her that he wanted to be able to make his own decisions, and she should go without him. Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! However, matters quickly escalated when he caught the men kissing, and he made a split second decision to head to Spain. Felix also couldn't get over the fact that Johnny was well aware of Keanu's murder. Having transferred a final £25k payment into her account, Bernie booked a taxi. But Suki was blocking her path. More Trending Bernie pleaded with her, Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), asking them to allow her to start afresh. They'd all had an opportunity to return to normality following Keanu's death, but she couldn't. Suki remained adamant that Bernie wasn't going anywhere – but when the other women began to pity her, she stepped to one side. Bernie and Felix boarded a taxi and drove off into the distance, as a frantic Ravi tried to stop them. A delay on the spyware meant he'd only just seen her transfer the cash. View More » Back on Turpin Road, Suki hugged her wife Eve (Heather Peace), knowing that The Six's ordeal was finally over. If you've got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@ – we'd love to hear from you. Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage. MORE: All 53 EastEnders pictures for next week as Bernie frames a Walford favourite for shocking crime MORE: All EastEnders spoilers for next week as Alfie twist is confirmed MORE: All EastEnders cast returns, exits and new arrivals coming up in 2025
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
Carer who threw dementia sufferer, 88, around like a 'rag doll' avoids jail
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A carer hurled an 88-year-old dementia sufferer and threatened to 'flog him' just days before his death, a court heard. CCTV footage captured Bilikesu Olagunju, 42, throwing John Attard like a 'rag doll' at the pensioner's home in Bayley, Kent. She stripped the pensioner and dragged him by the scruff of his collar to his armchair during the 45-minute visit on Christmas Eve 2022. In the video, Olagunju tells him: 'Maybe I will beat you up. I will flog you. I will take you to the GP to get injections. I will call the police on you.' The care worker also poured marmalade into John's coffee, knowing he was diabetic. John was discovered unresponsive with blood on his face the next day, a court heard. He died in the hospital 10 days later. His son, Chris, whose hidden camera recorded the incident, told MailOnline that while a post-mortem could not prove Olagunju was responsible, he believed her treatment of him had contributed to his sudden decline. Woolwich Crown Court heard that Olagunju had caused John, her first assignment as a carer in the UK, 'great distress'. Prosecutor James Benson said John had been 'manhandled' and that Olagunju had 'played on her victim's vulnerability' through 'rough handling, verbal aggression, and degrading treatment'. She ignored advice from her employer on the phone, telling her not to touch the dementia sufferer and continued pulling him up. Olagunju was given a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 50 hours' unpaid work. Chris said his father, who had five children, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, was 'still enjoying what life he had left' and described him as 'kind-hearted' and 'generous'. He added that having to repeatedly watch the CCTV footage of John being abused had taken a mental toll on him. Judge Charlotte Welsh, sentencing, questioned why Olagunju had been given an elderly dementia sufferer as her first patient and said the carer lacked 'sufficient training'. She accepted that there was no 'malicious intent' on the part of the carer and that Olagunju had shown 'genuine remorse'. The judge said: 'Your actions are evident of your failure to treat Mr Attard as a person deserving of as much dignity and respect as the rest of us.' Olagunju's defence barrister said she was 'ashamed' at her conduct and had suffered 'mental anguish' as a result of the incident. While echoing the judge's point that Olagunju had not been given sufficient training to deal with the situation in which she found herself, he added that the defendant 'had failed in her duty as a carer'. Olagunju's employer, Unique Personnel, was served a warning notice several months after John's death. An inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found the service to have 'inadequate' leadership as well as unsafe care practices, although its branches were rated as 'good'. The report, published in May 2023, also identified inadequate staff training, failure to carry out risk assessments and poor handling of complaints, including from patients' relatives. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
Metro
19 hours ago
- Metro
Cowboy builder walks away from job seconds after causing house to explode
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A builder who walked away from a job on a Nottingham home following an explosion has avoided jail. Barry Newman, the sole trader of Foster Brother Builders, was hired to carry out refurbishment works at a property on Commercial Road, Bulwell. The 51-year-old placed a faulty portable space heater connected to a propane gas can in a cellar to dry out. On November 22, 2022, the heater exploded due to a gas leak, destroying almost all of the ground floor of the home. Newman, who suffered burns to his face, hands and scalp, was filmed walking away from the gutted property. Debris from the blast was propelled onto the road and pavement. Newman failed to provide correctly maintained and suitable equipment and had not carried out a risk assessment, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found. The manufacturer's instructions for the heater he used state that the equipment should be placed in a well-ventilated area. Propane containers should not be stored below ground, where leaked gas is more likely to collect and ignite. At a hearing at Nottingham Magistrates Court this month, Newman pleaded guilty to breaching regulations regarding the use of building equipment. The builder was handed a prison sentence of 12 months, suspended for two years. More Trending He will also have to complete 240 hours of unpaid work as well as pay £2,000 towards the cost of the damage. Inspector Roy Poulter said: 'This gas explosion has left one man unable to work due to the seriousness of the injuries sustained and it could have easily resulted in someone losing their life. 'This case should serve as a strong reminder to those in the building trade on the dangers of working with gas and the need to assess the risk, and just how serious both HSE and the courts take failures like this.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Severe delays on M62 with westbound lane closed after massive lorry fire MORE: Huge fire on cargo ship sends smoke and 'burning plastic' smell billowing into city centre MORE: Man arrested after 'flipping over BMW and attacking woman outside hospital'
