Drug dealer who caused Newcastle house blast which killed two people to have sentence reviewed
A drug dealer who caused an explosion which killed two people in Newcastle is to have his sentence reviewed.
Reece Galbraith caused the blast at Violet Close in Benwell in the early hours of 16 October 2024 while making cannabis gummy sweets.
He and his friend Jason 'Jay' Laws were using a Newcastle flat as a drugs lab when the explosion ripped through the building, killing both laws and seven-year-old Archie York who was sleeping in the flat above.
Galbraith, of Rectory Road in Gateshead, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter as well as possessing and supplying cannabis.
He was later sentenced to 14 years in prison at Newcastle Crown Court.
The Attorney General's Office has confirmed that a request has been received to review Galbraith's sentence under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme, adding that a decision will be made "in due course."
What is the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme?
Under the scheme, anyone - including those not involved in the case - can ask for a sentence to be reviewed.
The Law Officers will then have 28 days to consider the sentence and refer it to the Court of Appeal if they agree it was unduly lenient.
In this scenario, the Court of Appeal will make a final decision on whether a sentence should be increased.
The blast at Violet Close destroyed six of the 12 flats in the block. It was followed by a “fierce fire” that caused such extensive damage to the whole block that it has since been demolished.
Police investigating the explosion discovered that the flat operated by Galbraith and Laws was used as a “drugs lab” to produce cannabis concentrates, known as "shatter" or "butane honey oil," in a highly dangerous process.
Galbraith suffered extensive burns and was placed in an induced coma following the blast.
Bodyworn from Northumbria Police shows the moment Reece Galbraith is arrested
Jailing Galbraith, the judge, Mr Justice Cotter, said: "Archie York was just a seven-year-old with a wonderful and exciting life ahead of him.
"His parents have so movingly explained, their world was shattered on October 16 when their flat was blown apart and they woke up buried under the rubble, dazed, bleeding and terrified to realise their precious son had been lost."
He went on to say: "Violet Close was a close-knit, multi-racial community with many families that was literally blown apart as a result of your illegal activities in their midst, regardless of the clear risks to others."
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