Drug dealer jailed after killing boy, 7, in cannabis factory explosion

A man whose illegal cannabis factory exploded in a block of flats, killing seven-year-old Archie York, has been jailed for 14 years.

Archie died when the blast caused by Reece Galbraith, 33, obliterated several homes in Benwell in the early hours of 16 October 2024, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The fatal explosion was caused by a build-up of butane created in the process of making drug-infused sweets in one of the flats by Jason Laws, 35, who was also killed, and Galbraith.

Galbraith, of Gateshead, admitted two counts of manslaughter, with Archie’s mother screaming at him in court that he had killed her son.

Mr Laws and Galbraith were using a ground-floor flat in the block of 12 homes on Violet Close to make so-called cannabis shatter, a brittle substance containing a high concentration of the psychoactive compound THC which is used to form sweets from, prosecutor David Brooke KC said.

• ‘My son was killed by criminals making cannabis’

At about 00:40 BST, their “sophisticated” factory exploded, killing Archie, who lived upstairs with his parents and baby brother, and totally destroying six homes, the court heard.

There was then a “fierce fire” and the block ultimately had to be demolished, with dozens of people losing their homes and treasured possessions, Mr Brooke said.

Archie had been asleep in his living room when the blast occurred and was killed instantly, while his father Robbie York, mother Katherine Errington and seven-week-old brother Finley all “miraculously” survived, the court heard.

Mr Brooke said there had also been an “enormous impact” on the local area, with the damage and costs to Newcastle City Council valued at £3.7m, 81 adults and 59 children from 51 homes displaced and 10 households having to be permanently rehoused.

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”.

In a fury, she angrily told Galbraith he “took risks for profit” before screaming at him: “You killed my son.”

“This was your choice,” Ms Errington said. “We will never forgive you for what you did to our beautiful boy.”

The court heard Archie’s beloved dog Chase had also been killed in the blast.

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 death.

“They were making drugs whilst my family slept upstairs unaware of the danger that was below us,” Mr York said.

He said Galbraith and Mr Laws’ illegal operation had put multiple children at risk while their own children slept safely elsewhere, adding: “We worked hard for what we had and they did nothing but inflict pain and misery on others.”

Another neighbour, who had lost her home of 18 years, said the men were horrible, selfish and greedy.

One woman said her seven-month-old daughter had been blown across her bedroom and was found beneath a pile of drawers and bricks, with the woman fearing the girl would need medical treatment for the rest of her life.

Police found dozens of cannisters of liquid butane gas and expensive equipment used to make cannabis shatter in the debris, the court heard.

Mr Brooke said butane was used in the production process but it was “highly dangerous” and “extremely flammable”.

He said the cannisters clearly displayed multiple vivid warnings which Mr Laws and Galbraith had ignored.

Galbraith, of Rectory Road, had also been in the flat and was found in the wreckage covered in severe burns, going on to spend a month in a coma in hospital.

His finger prints were found on some of the butane cannisters and on packages of cannabis sweets discovered in Mr Laws’ car, Mr Brooke said, with evidence from his phones showing he had been selling cannabis sweets for at least 11 months before the blast.

Galbraith, who also admitted producing and selling cannabis, had previous convictions related to the drug and was under police investigation at the time of the blast, the court heard.

In mitigation, Richard Wright KC said Galbraith had not intended to harm or kill anybody and was “genuinely sorry”.

Mr Justice Cotter said Archie was a “healthy, happy and much-loved seven-year-old” with a “wonderful and exciting life ahead of him”.

The judge said the effect of the “tragedy” would “never diminish for his parents” and there was nothing which could ease their “life sentence of grief”, adding: “No sentence can cure their unimaginable pain, grief and loss.”

The operation run by Mr Laws and Galbraith was “not easy” and required extensive knowledge and research, much of which included explicit warnings about the “inherently dangerous” process of using butane, the judge said.

He said it was miraculous more people were not seriously injured or killed.