Plumber cleared of manslaughter in gas leak case

A tragic story that began with a plumber working on a hotel gas boiler, followed days later by the death by carbon monoxide poisoning of a woman, ended yesterday with a jury finding the plumber and his company not guilty.

Richard Davis, aged 46, from Serenity, Killanully, Ballygarvan, Co Cork, was found not guilty at Cork Circuit Court before Judge Seán O Donnabháin of the manslaughter of Miriam Reidy, 35, and two counts under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

Davis’s company, Davis Heating and Plumbing Contractors of Marina Commercial Park in Cork, was found not guilty of two similar health and safety act counts relating to the conversion of a gas boiler at the Trident Hotel on Jan 4, 2011. The jury deliberated for four and a half hours before returning with five not-guilty verdicts.