Woman 'thrown out of bed' by force of explosion

A woman who was "thrown out of bed" by the force of a gas explosion at a block of flats helped another resident to safety, a trial has heard.

Ten people died following the explosion near Haut du Mont flats in the early hours of 10 December 2022.

Gas workers Neil Armstrong, John Wright and Lee Ward all deny 10 counts of gross negligence manslaughter, while Island Energy has pleaded not guilty to health and safety breaches.

Prosecution Advocate Simon Thomas told the jury Kathy McGinness, 73, helped officers "with ensuring the safe evacuation of another resident". McGinness subsequently died from her injuries in hospital on Christmas Day.

The jury at the Royal Court heard McGinness had called 999 to report the explosion at 03:54 GMT.

Officers who arrived at the scene spoke with McGinness who helped them evacuate another resident, the court heard.

Following the explosion, she was taken to St Helier town hall with other residents but became unwell later that day and was taken to hospital, the court heard.

She told hospital staff she was "thrown out of her bed" by the force of the explosion, the trial was told.

Thomas said McGinness had injured her spinal cord as a result "which progressively worsened" and that she sustained a lower respiratory tract infection.

The other residents who died in the explosion were Peter Bowler, 72, Billy Marsden, 62, Derek Ellis, 61, Sylvia Ellis, 73, Ken Ralph, 72, Jane Ralph, 71, Romeu De Almeida, 67, Louise De Almeida, 64 and Raymond Brown, 71.

The trial continues.

Follow BBC Jersey on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.