A GAS fitter whose negligence resulted in the death of one of his clients has been jailed for five years.
And safety chiefs revealed that they had found dozens of other faulty boilers fitted by Holmfirth man James Charlton.
Gas engineers checked 150 boilers fitted by Charlton and found that a staggering 145 had problems.
The checks followed an investigation into the death of a man overcome by fumes from a faulty boiler fitted by Charlton.
Mark Ellis (pictured above), 41, was overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning from a poorly-fitted boiler at his Hawthorne Crescent home in Dodworth, Barnsley.
Mark’s sister, Joan Tye, said Charlton had been cowardly and shown no remorse, respect or responsibility.
She said: “Mark lived life to the full and he will be remembered as a person of warmth and integrity who brought joy into the life of others”.
Charlton was found guilty by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court of manslaughter through gross neglect and of breaching gas safety regulations.
He was jailed for five years.
Charlton, 31, of Hill Top View, Hade Edge, had denied leaving the boiler in a dangerous state, telling the court he believed the problem had been caused by ‘weathering’.
He said there was always room for improvement with any maintenance work.
But Judge Roger Keen QC said he had been guilty of “cost-cutting and timesaving at the expense of his customers’ safety”.
It was also revealed that, out of almost 150 boilers fitted by Charlton and examined by the prosecution, only five were deemed to be safe.
Mr Ellis was found dead at his home in February 2008, 12 weeks after Charlton fitted the boiler.
The flue had not been properly connected to the exhaust pipe, causing carbon monoxide to leak from the boiler.
It took three years for police to gather enough evidence to prosecute Charlton, owing to the complexity of the case.
Sentencing, Judge Keen criticised Charlton for attempting to pass the blame to one of his apprentices and his disregard for the suffering he caused.
He said: “There has been not a shred of pity for Mr Ellis, no remorse at all and you demonstrated during your trial an indifference to the risks you have subjected people to that, in Mr Ellis’ case, borders on callousness.
“You were aware of the clear and obvious risk of death if the work was not performed properly and, on this occasion, you committed about as bad an error as could be made.
“It’s difficult to imagine how anyone could fall further short of the proper standard of work required.”
Carbon monoxide is known as ‘The Silent Killer’.
The fumes have claimed the lives of many people – notably young Dominic Rodgers, at his home in Fartown.
Dominic’s mother Stacey has campaigned tirelessly for better awareness of the risks.
