Latest news with #ReeceGalbraith


BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Tyneside stories you might have missed this week
The jail sentence of man whose illegal cannabis factory exploded and killed a boy has been found not to be too lenient, how a lose aspirin dose could cut cancer for some people and watch the moment when 18 kayakers were rescued from the are five stories from Tyneside you might have missed this week. Cannabis factory killer's sentence not too lenient A man whose illegal cannabis factory exploded in a block of flats, killing a seven-year-old boy, will not have his sentence referred to the Court of Appeal over concerns it was too York died alongside 35-year-old Jason Laws when the blast caused by Reece Galbraith, 33, destroyed several homes in Benwell, Newcastle, in Newcastle Crown Court, Galbraith, of Gateshead, admitted two counts of manslaughter and was sentenced to 14 years more about what the Attorney General's Office said here Watch the moment 18 kayakers were rescued from the sea The RNLI released bodycam footage of the moment 18 kayakers and paddleboarders were rescued from the were part of a group of 32 adults and children who got into difficulty on Tuesday at Cullercoats involved was brought back to safety, although one of the children was taken to hospital as a lifeguard George Legg said the "intense situation" occurred because the kayakers had been caught in force five winds outside the harbour, which created "lots of wind chop". Low aspirin dose 'cuts cancer risk in some people' A study to find the right dose of aspirin to reduce the risk of cancer in some patients has found the smallest amount works just as well as larger ones, according to a leading trial involved 1,879 people with Lynch syndrome who were given three different-sized doses of the Sir John Burn, from Newcastle University, said he would ask health regulators to formally advise a low dose of 75mg be prescribed to those with the genetic condition, which puts them at a greater cancer more about the trial here Lamp-posts approved for Northern Lights viewpoint The installation of street lighting along a stretch of road which has become popular for viewing the Northern Lights has been Wednesday, South Tyneside Council has approved the establishment of lamp-posts along the coast road in South Shields, in order to improve safety along what is a National Cycle Network and those living near the Leas nature reserve previously told the BBC the lights would damage wildlife and cause light more about the plans here Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.


BBC News
23-06-2025
- BBC News
Benwell explosion killer's sentence not too lenient
A man whose illegal cannabis factory exploded in a block of flats, killing a seven-year-old boy, will not have his sentence referred to the Court of Appeal over concerns it was too York died alongside 35-year-old Jason Laws when the blast caused by Reece Galbraith, 33, destroyed several homes in Benwell, Newcastle, in Newcastle Crown Court, Galbraith, of Gateshead, admitted two counts of manslaughter and was sentenced to 14 years Attorney General's Office (AGO) confirmed it had received a request to consider his jail term under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme but concluded the threshold was not met. Anyone can ask for a sentence to be reviewed, according to the courts service, but only certain types of cases can be, such as murder and manslaughter.A spokesperson for the AGO said while "no sentence could undo Reece Galbraith's appalling actions", the Solicitor General could only refer sentences to the Court of Appeal "where a judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence which resulted in an outcome which isn't just lenient but unduly so"."That threshold was not met in this case, despite the horrific consequences of Galbraith's conduct," they said. The explosion stemmed from a build-up of butane created in the process of making drug-infused sweets in one of the flats by Galbraith and Mr pair were using a ground-floor flat in the block of 12 homes on Violet Close to make the so-called cannabis shatter, the court as a "sophisticated" factory, it exploded at about 00:40 BST on 16 who lived upstairs with his parents and baby brother, had been asleep in the family's living mother, Katherine Errington, and seven-week-old brother, Finlay, were buried beneath bricks and debris and were pulled to safety by Archie's father, Robbie York. Galbraith, of Rectory Road, was found in the wreckage covered in severe burns and spent a month in a coma in well as the manslaughter charges, he pleaded guilty to producing and selling block of properties was later demolished, with dozens of people losing their homes and and costs to Newcastle City Council was valued at £3.7m, with 81 adults and 59 children from 51 homes displaced and 10 households having to be permanently rehoused. Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.


ITV News
06-06-2025
- ITV News
Drug dealer who caused Newcastle house blast which killed two people to have sentence reviewed
A drug dealer who caused an explosion which killed two people in Newcastle is to have his sentence reviewed. Reece Galbraith caused the blast at Violet Close in Benwell in the early hours of 16 October 2024 while making cannabis gummy sweets. He and his friend Jason 'Jay' Laws were using a Newcastle flat as a drugs lab when the explosion ripped through the building, killing both laws and seven-year-old Archie York who was sleeping in the flat above. Galbraith, of Rectory Road in Gateshead, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter as well as possessing and supplying cannabis. The Attorney General's Office has confirmed that a request has been received to review Galbraith's sentence under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme, adding that a decision will be made "in due course." What is the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme? Under the scheme, anyone - including those not involved in the case - can ask for a sentence to be reviewed. The Law Officers will then have 28 days to consider the sentence and refer it to the Court of Appeal if they agree it was unduly lenient. In this scenario, the Court of Appeal will make a final decision on whether a sentence should be increased. The blast at Violet Close destroyed six of the 12 flats in the block. It was followed by a 'fierce fire' that caused such extensive damage to the whole block that it has since been demolished. Police investigating the explosion discovered that the flat operated by Galbraith and Laws was used as a 'drugs lab' to produce cannabis concentrates, known as "shatter" or "butane honey oil," in a highly dangerous process. Galbraith suffered extensive burns and was placed in an induced coma following the blast. Bodyworn from Northumbria Police shows the moment Reece Galbraith is arrested Jailing Galbraith, the judge, Mr Justice Cotter, said: "Archie York was just a seven-year-old with a wonderful and exciting life ahead of him. "His parents have so movingly explained, their world was shattered on October 16 when their flat was blown apart and they woke up buried under the rubble, dazed, bleeding and terrified to realise their precious son had been lost." He went on to say: "Violet Close was a close-knit, multi-racial community with many families that was literally blown apart as a result of your illegal activities in their midst, regardless of the clear risks to others."


BBC News
05-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Benwell explosion: Reece Galbraith's sentence reviewed
A man whose illegal cannabis factory exploded in a block of flats, killing a seven-year-old boy, is to have his 14-year jail sentence reviewed amid concerns it is too York died when the blast caused by Reece Galbraith, 33, destroyed several homes in Benwell, Newcastle, last Newcastle Crown Court, Galbraith, of Gateshead, admitted two counts of manslaughter which also killed 35-year-old James Attorney General's Office confirmed it had received a request to consider his jail term under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme (ULS) and said a decision on whether to send it to the Court of Appeal "will be made in due course". Anyone can ask for a sentence to be reviewed, according to the courts service, and they do not have to have been involved in a certain types can be reviewed including murder, manslaughter, rape and serious drug offences. The explosion stemmed from a build-up of butane created in the process of making drug-infused sweets in one of the flats by Galbraith and Mr pair were using a ground-floor flat in the block of 12 homes on Violet Close to make the so-called cannabis shatter, the court as a "sophisticated" factory, it exploded at about 00:40 BST on 16 who lived upstairs with his parents and baby brother, had been asleep in the family's living mother, Katherine Errington, and seven-week-old brother, Finlay, were buried beneath bricks and debris and were pulled to safety by Archie's father, Robbie York. 'You killed my son' Ms Errington told the court her son's death had "broken us in ways I didn't know possible" and the family had "lost everything", adding she felt "survivor's guilt".She angrily told Galbraith he "took risks for profit" before screaming at him: "You killed my son."In a statement read to the court, Mr York said he felt "nothing but anger" towards Galbraith and Mr Laws, adding he had "no sympathy" for the latter's of Rectory Road, was found in the wreckage covered in severe burns and spent a month in a coma in well as the manslaughter charges, he pleaded guilty to producing and selling cannabis. The block of properties was later demolished, with dozens of people losing their homes and and costs to Newcastle City Council was valued at £3.7m, with 81 adults and 59 children from 51 homes displaced and 10 households having to be permanently rehoused. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Council seeks to claw back fatal explosion cost
Council bosses will try to claw back some of the multimillion-pound cost to the public purse caused by a drugs lab explosion that killed a seven-year-old boy. Reece Galbraith was jailed this week for 14 years for causing the blast in Violet Close, Benwell, in Newcastle, in which Archie York and 35-year-old Jason Laws died last October. The site of the explosion will remain grassed-over until a consultation with Archie's family and the wider community on if the houses should be rebuilt, Newcastle City Council said. The authority also confirmed it would be seeking to claim back some of the estimated £3.7m of costs incurred by the incident on insurance. It is unclear at this stage how much it may be able to recoup or how long that might take, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. 'My son was killed by criminals making cannabis' Drug dealer who killed boy, 7, in explosion jailed Explosion community 'relieved but still in pain' After Galbraith's sentencing, the local authority said that the incident had an "enormous, confounding impact on the community, staff and all those involved and has drained finances and resources in what are already difficult times". Civic centre bosses estimated £1.5m has been spent on the management, demolition, and reinstatement of the scene of the explosion, as well as supporting displaced families – many of whom lost not only their home, but all of their personal belongings. The explosion in the early hours of 16 October saw 142 residents from 51 homes, evacuated. Twelve properties affected by the blast have since been demolished and ten households have been permanently rehoused. The council also estimated that rebuilding those 12 lost homes would cost it about £1.9m – though bosses have stressed that it would only do so "if and when the time feels right" and following consultation with Archie's family and the wider community. That area has been grassed over to create a "space for quiet reflection" before any further consideration of its future use. A loss of rent and council tax income makes up the remainder of the stated £3.7m cost and would not be covered by insurance. Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Explosion community 'relieved but still in pain' 'My son was killed by criminals making cannabis' Drug dealer who killed boy, 7, in explosion jailed Newcastle City Council