Haut Du Mont trial: Supervisor 'felt really responsible' when told of explosion

A former gas worker on trial in connection with the fatal Haut du Mont explosion said he felt ‘isolated', 'shocked', and ‘responsible’ when told about what happened.

Police interviews with Neil Armstrong, and former colleague John Wright, have been played to the jury.

In the days before the fatal explosion, Armstrong and his team, consisting of John Wright and Lee Ward, were working to decommission the Haut Du Mont flats from the gas network.

The court has previously heard that they cut a pipe in the wrong place on 9 December 2022, meaning gas was lost in multiple properties, including the St Helier Yacht Club.

In his voluntary police interview ten days after the blast, on 20 December 2022, Mr Wright said that once they found out about this, ‘panic stations kicked in.'

He recalled events on 9 December, saying that Mr Armstrong, his supervisor, was ‘sweating’ and ‘flapping’ to get the gas back into the network quickly, including to the Yacht Club.

Mr Wright said he asked whether the team would do a test for leaks first, but was told to ‘get it connected, end of.’

He said Mr Armstrong said 'f***the test, get it back on.'

Mr Wright also told officers in his interview that he was 'sorry to say', but Mr Armstrong used to 'cut a lot of corners' and was 'lax a daisy'.

He said a test was 'the proper procedure' and that he was 'a bit annoyed', but that he doesn't 'stand up to Neil' because 'he’s the boss.'

The court previously heard that if a test was done, it would have alerted them that gas was leaking into Haut du Mont through an open valve.

In Mr Armstrong's interview, also on 20 December, he said that when putting gas back into the network, he didn't go back to check Haut Du Mont itself either because ‘I'd been there, I knew what I’d opened, I knew what I’d closed.'

Haut Du Mont Trial: Worker checking gas valves spent almost 'entire' time on his phone

Earlier in the trial, the court learnt that he had left at least one valve open at the flats earlier in the day, which led to gas leaking into the flats until the early hours of 10 December, when it was ignited by an unknown spark and exploded, killing ten residents.

Mr Armstrong, along with Mr Ward and Mr Wright, have pleaded not guilty to ten counts of gross negligence manslaughter.

Their ex-employer, Island Energy, denies breaching health and safety laws.

The trial continues. 

Read our full coverage of the trial here:

Haut du Mont trial: Island Energy ‘wouldn’t spend the money’ on vital safety training, court hears

Haut Du Mont trial: Safety Officer ‘would’ve stopped the job’ if told truth about test

Haut Du Mont trial: Worker told colleague he 'didn't test' gas main

Haut du Mont trial: Island Energy 'placed health and safety at risk'

Haut Du Mont Trial: 'It could explode', jury hears 999 calls

Haut Du Mont Trial: Worker checking gas valves spent almost 'entire' time on his phone

Haut Du Mont Trial: Gas works were 'sloppy, unsafe, and cut corners', allege prosecutors

Haut du Mont trial: Explosion 'an incident waiting to happen'

Haut du Mont trial begins