He feels his life ended... tenant in gas blast sues judge’s widow for £200k
Cyril Dixon
A HIGH Court judge’s widow is being sued for at least £200,000 by a tenant who suffered horrific burns in a gas explosion.
Kyle Roe, 22, claims 87 per cent of his body was burnt in the blast at his flat, which he believes owner Lady Sheila Ferris could have prevented.
Mr Roe suffered the injuries when he flicked on a light switch in the third-floor apartment and unwittingly ignited natural gas leaking through a badly sealed pipe, it is said.
The former supermarket worker said he considers himself lucky to have survived but needed more than a dozen operations to repair his skin, plus counselling for psychological damage.
He has now issued a writ claiming Lady Sheila, 84, was negligent in her duty as landlord of the Grade II listed property in Chippenham, Wilts. He claims she failed in her responsibility to ensure the pipes were fitted properly with good quality materials, so that the building was fit to live in.
The mother-of-four, who was married to retired High Court Judge Sir Francis Ferris, denies liability for the accident, which occurred in October 2017.
Mr Roe said: “I didn’t know what had happened. I just saw skin hanging off everywhere. I feel lucky to be alive after seeing all the pictures.
“I remember stumbling down the stairs screaming, ‘Help me’, and getting outside and rolling around on the floor.”
Mr Roe, who now lives in a property which has been specially adapted to allow for his injuries, added: “It was horrendous. I didn’t know what to do.” His legal statement says he rented the flat in March 2017 after work had been carried out to convert three apartments into four.
It says that the gas heating system was later altered to serve a vaping business, which Lady Sheila rented the ground floor to.
But the pipe leading to the first floor was not properly sealed and a check which would have revealed the defect was not undertaken, it is claimed. Lady Sheila’s defence says she had no part in the day-to-day maintenance and instructed project managers oversee the work.
Mr Roe was in an induced coma for seven weeks and now suffers from limited mobility because of his injuries.
His mother Tracy said: “It’s been a struggle. It’s been life-changing for all of us. Kyle feels like his life ended a year ago.” His father gave to
Kyle Roe with his mother Tracy, left, and before blast, below. Lady Sheila Ferris’s home in Henley-onThames, above. Some of the debris after the gas explosion in the flat, right
up work to become his carer and the family spent £40,000 in one year alone looking after him, it was said. His lawyers say he is now disadvantaged in the job market and their claim is seeking at least £200,000 damages and the right to return to court for compensation if his condition deteriorates.
He is also suing the project manager, Prestige EA, which has gone into liquidation, Insurance.
Lady Sheila, of Henley-onThames, Oxfordshire, said yesterday: “It’s a very sad incident and I’m very upset about it.
“It should never have happened and wouldn’t have done if everything had been checked properly.”
Oxford-educated Sir Francis, a Chancery Division judge, died two years ago. His widow ran an upmarket clothes store. and
Zurich