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

The supervising engineer of gas works that led to a fatal explosion at Haut du Mont was distracted when he attended the flats to check valves were closed, Jersey's Royal Court has been told.

Supervisor Neil Armstrong went to the Haut Du Mont flats at around 2.30pm on 9 December 2022 after the team had a report that gas had been lost at the St Helier Yacht Club. 

This was due to a pipe being cut in the wrong place earlier that day, the jury in the ongoing trial previously heard.

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

On day two of the prosecution presenting the case against three former Island Energy workers and their employer over the deaths of ten people in the fatal explosion on 10 December 2022, the court has been told Mr Armstrong was 'pre-occupied' while he was at the apartment block just over 12 hours before the blast.

Crown Advocate Simon Thomas said the 'only conceivable purpose' of his visit was to check the valves and plugs before gas was restored.

CCTV showed his vehicle heading in the direction of Haut du Mont at 2.25pm and back at 3.24pm.

The court heard that during that time, Mr Armstrong spent around 18 minutes on phone calls - around a third of the total time he was on-site.

Crown Advocate Simon Thomas said Mr Armstrong called and texted his daughter, called colleagues, and sent emails regarding the recruitment and pay of a new member of staff.

It's claimed at least some of the communication was 'entirely unrelated' to that day's task.

The prosecution alleges that Mr Armstrong left at least one valve open, meaning that when gas was put back into the network at around 6pm, it began leaking into the flats at Haut Du Mont.

Haut Du Mont Flats (from animation presented to the jury in court)

Crown Advocate Thomas said to the jury:

"It begs the question of whether he did in fact check the ECVs (Emergency Control Valves), or if he did, how much care and time he was devoting to that task.

"That hour was spent almost entirely on the phone."

He added:

"The gas that caused the explosion escaped from one or more of the valves...

"If it had not been left open, then the explosion would not have happened."

As the workers did not carry out the pressure test that would have identified an opening, once turned on, gas leaked into the flats from 6pm on the 9 December 2022 and was ignited just before 4am on 10 December by an unknown spark, leading to the explosion.

Advocate Thomas told the jury that, although co-defendant John Wright allegedly said he was 'not happy' with what Mr Armstrong was telling him to do on 9 December, neither him or the third defendant and worker, Lee Ward, used the Island Energy, 'Stop Work Card' at any point.

Employees are allowed to use this card - even to their seniors, if they deem the work to be unsafe. 

Instead, Advocate Thomas said the workers took risks, cut corners, and ignored procedures.

He said those failings led to the 'key breach' of not carrying out a pressure test before recommissioning gas into the network.

The prosecution said both Mr Wright and Mr Ward 'well understood' the need for a pressure test, and that it would have notified them of a leak.

The trial continues.