Mum’s agony over leak from a botched boiler that killed her children
A MOTHER sat in anguish yesterday as she heard how her two children died because of three blunders by staff maintaining a gas boiler at the holiday hotel.
Sharon Wood listened intently as the details of how they were killed by fumes at the four- star Corfu hotel were outlined at an inquest.
Christianne Shepherd, seven, and her brother Robert, six, were overcome by carbon monoxide that leaked from a faulty boiler as a ‘happy and relaxed’ family holiday in Corfu ended in ‘appalling tragedy’.
Their father Neil Shepherd – who is Mrs Wood’s ex-husband – and his partner Ruth Beatson fell into a coma and were close to death when they were found the next morning by a maid, along with the bodies of the children. The couple recovered after emergency treatment.
Yesterday, Mrs Wood, 44, sat in silence as
‘Appalling tragedy’
the details of her children’s final hours were detailed to the inquest jury at Wakefield Coroner’s Court, nine years after the tragedy.
Scenes of the youngsters playing together were shown on a large screen as the background was outlined.
Commenting on the inquest – which has been delayed by almost nine years partly because of ongoing legal proceedings – coroner David Hinchliff said: ‘The family of these children have waited a long, long time for this day.’
The jury was told how Mr Shepherd had booked the £2,000 holiday to the Greek island with Thomas Cook. The family were put in a bungalow at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel. On the third day of the trip in October 2006, Christi felt ‘unwell’ and Bobby tripped and fell after feeling dizzy. Mr Hinchliff said they went to bed at 11.30pm.
In the night Mr Shepherd, now 46, went to his daughter when she was heard crying and Miss Beatson, who is now his wife, went to Bobby who was ‘whimpering’.
Tests showed the family had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. The cause was identified as the gas-fired hot water boiler in an outhouse next to the bedrooms.
Thomas Magner, a boiler expert hired to investigate by Thomas Cook, discovered the boiler covered in rust from water leakage.
He identified a series of blunders, the inquest heard. The boiler had been installed without a ‘chimney’ or flue to take out unwanted fumes.
Second, a ‘ protection device’ designed to cut out the boiler if it overheated had been disabled as late as the day before the tragedy, to avoid a worker having to come and relight the boiler when it was tripped off, the inquest heard.
Third, a crude hole in the outhouse internal wall enabled fumes to pass into the bedrooms. The hole has been made for air conditioning pipes, but had not been sealed.
There was also a water leak which caused the boiler to work longer and dangerous gases to build up. The leak should have been obvious from the rust but it was not fixed.
Mr Magner said tests showed a ‘massive’ concentration of carbon monoxide and the children were hardest hit because their room was closest to the source. Commenting on the workmanship, Mr Hinchliff asked: ‘Was it bodged or botched?’ Mr Magner replied: ‘You would say it was bodged.’
The inquest was told problems with the boiler were first reported five months earlier. Boilers at the hotel had been installed about eight years before the tragedy and evidence indicated dangerously faulty boilers throughout the site.
The family were initially not supposed to have been staying in the bungalow but were switched to number 112 because the room they were allocated was unsuitable.
The i nquest heard 112 had become available because the previous occupants had become unwell and were detained in hospital for tests and treatment. No further details were revealed. The hearing continues.