Man jailed for 14 years after explosion in home cannabis lab that killed boy

A man who operated a cannabis drug lab that caused an explosion in a terraced street was jailed yesterday for 14 years for the deaths of two people, including a seven-year-old boy.

- Mark Brown

The boy, Archie York, was asleep in the flat above the drugs lab being run by Reece Galbraith, 33, when the blast happened in the Benwell area of Newcastle in the early hours of 16 October 2024.

In an emotional statement at Newcastle crown court, Archie's mother, Katherine Errington, described her pain at losing a son who was "cheeky, kind, full of life and dreams".

She sobbed as she told Galbraith he had stolen her family's peace and safety. "You brought gas canisters into a building where families lived. You ran a drugs operation under the floor where my children slept. You took risks for profit and didn't care who got hurt. You killed my son."

Also killed in the blast was Jason Laws, 35, who had been operating the drug lab with Galbraith. Galbraith pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Archie and Laws and possessing and supplying cannabis. He was jailed for 14 years.

With Laws, Galbraith was using highly dangerous extraction processes in a small flat to produce cannabis concentrates, known as shatter or butane honey oil. The product is then turned into gummy sweets aimed at young people, the court heard.