Killer gas cannister was 100 times tyre pressure

Jul 22 2009 By Dave Himelfield

PRESSURE in a gas cylinder which killed a father-of-five could have been over 100 times that of a car tyre, a court was told.

Timmy Donaghue, 35, died after he was struck by a high pressure gas canister outside Arthur Brook scrapyard, Ravensthorpe, on August 29.

Manslaughter accused Matthew Dean, 25, of Thornhill Lees, had been opening the valve on an Argoshield cylinder, when the cylinder flew off hitting Mr Donaghue.

Co-accused Phillip Jennings, 49, of Hanging Heaton, had been attempting to vent other gas cylinders with a pickaxe just before the accident.

The pair, who had been emptying the canisters to sell them for scrap, both deny manslaughter through gross negligence.

Yesterday a jury at Leeds Crown Court heard from gas canister expert Paul Howells, a field manager for gas cylinder supplier BOC.