Two deny hotel gas manslaughter

Mr Jackson was found in his bedroom at the Great Western Hotel

Two men have denied the manslaughter of a Welsh businessman at a Cornish hotel.

Fred Jackson, 52, of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, died from carbon monoxide poisoning while staying as a guest at the hotel in Newquay.

Two gas fitters were charged with his manslaughter and health and safety offences after an investigation.

Philip Hodge, 47, and Jonathan Mingo, 35, both of St Austell, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter at Truro Crown Court.

Mingo and Hodge denied they unlawfully killed father-of-two Mr Jackson - a guest at the Great Western Hotel on Cliff Road - by gross negligence.

Both were remanded on bail to await trial, provisionally booked for March next year and which could run for up to eight weeks.

Mr Jackson was found dead in his room in April 2008.

A post mortem examination revealed the father-of-two died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The gas was first suspected of causing Mr Jackson's death when a paramedic began to suffer from side effects shortly after attending the hotel to inspect the body.

Carbon monoxide

Mr Hodge and Mr Mingo are alleged to have breached their duty of care by designing, installing and commissioning a gas-fired boiler and flue assembly which could not run efficiently.

They are also alleged to have failed to monitor the creation of carbon monoxide in and around the boiler and flue assembly.

Both also pleaded not guilty to a charge alleging that between 1 December, 2005 and 25 December, 2005 they failed to discharge their duty under gas safety regulations to install the boiler safely.

Mr Hodge denied that between 20 December, 2005 and 21 April last year having worked on the boiler, he failed to immediately examine the effectiveness of the flue.

Mr Mingo denied that between 1-25 December, 2005, being an employee, he failed to ensure the boiler could not be used safely.