Father tells Greek court of Corfu fumes deaths

A GRIEVING father broke down in tears yesterday as he told a Greek court of the moments leading up to the deaths of his children from carbon monoxide poisoning in their holiday apartment.

Christianne Shepherd, seven, and her brother Robert, six, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, died after a faulty boiler leaked gas into their Corfu bungalow in October 2006.

The children were on holiday with their father Neil and his partner, Ruth Beatson, who were both left in a coma as a result of the accident but survived.

Two Thomas Cook employees, Nicola Gibson and Richard Carson, yesterday went on trial in Corfu Town charged with manslaughter by negligence and bodily harm by negligence.

Giving evidence at the trial, Mr Shepherd said: “About 10 minutes after we had gone to bed Christi sat up and started being sick.

“I immediately got up and went over to her to help. When I sat up I felt dizzy but my concern was for my daughter.”

Mr Shepherd broke down in tears and struggled to tell the court how he went to get a carrier bag for his daughter to vomit into.

Mr Shepherd told how he also began to suffer the effects of the poisoning as he tended to his daughter.

Mr Shepherd and Ms Beatson, both passed out as they tended to the children and were taken to a hospital in Athens and regained consciousness after a few days. It was there that they were both told of the deaths of Mr Shepherd’s children. “I can’t really remember what was said or anything about that time because we were still very poorly and all I can remember is that my brother informed me that I had lost my children,” he said.

Mr Shepherd went on to tell the court that, when the family arrived at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel, their bungalow was not ready for them. When asked for his opinion of the complex, he said he thought it looked “very tired”.

He said the family was given no safety advice regarding gas appliances in the bungalow and did not think to ask for any as they had previously checked in the holiday brochures that all accommodation was Corgi-registered.

Mr Shepherd said: “You’re going on holiday, the last thing going through your mind is not being safe.

“You just presume that you’re safe, you presume that the tour operator has just done the checks so that you can just go away and enjoy your holiday and not have your children die.”

The children’s mother, Sharon Wood, also travelled to Corfu for the trial, but was made to leave the courtroom during Mr Shepherd’s evidence as she will be called as a witness at a later date.

Her husband Paul will not be required to give evidence and sat in the courtroom.

Carson, 28, and Gibson, 26, sat at the front of the court with nine other defendants, all Greek, who are also charged over the deaths of the children.

A 12th defendant wasearlier discharged from the hearing under Greek law.

Mr Shepherd told the court he had since learned that the bungalow’s boiler was located outside, at the back of the property on the right hand side.

“We know now that the deaths of our children was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning,” a highly-emotional Mr Shepherd said.

“We know that the boiler was faulty ... it wouldn’t turn off with the carbon monoxide. We know that there was a hole from out of the boiler into the room and we know that the carbon monoxide built up and built up and poured through the hole which caused...”

At this point Mr Shepherd was unable to complete his sentence and a Greek translator standing next to him began to convey his words to the court.

He added safety was the “main concern” when deciding on where to holiday.

He also said that because the resort was a five-star complex, the couple presumed it would have better facilities than one with a lower rating and would therefore be safer.

Shortly after Mr Shepherd, Ms Beatson also gave evidence.

She, like her husband, did not remember anything other than going to lie with Robert when Christianne was vomiting – and then waking up in hospital.

She was also asked about another family who had stayed in the bungalow just a few days before her and the family.

She said: “Since we’ve returned to England we’ve found out that they were hospitalised after staying in that bungalow.

“They had similar symptoms, they were dizzy and sick.”

A spokesman for Thomas Cook said the accident was “unique and unforeseeable” and was not the fault of either Carson or Gibson.

He said: “What happened in Corfu was a terrible tragedy and the thoughts and sympathy of everyone at Thomas Cook will always be with the family and friends of Christianne and Robert Shepherd.

The trial was adjourned until February 17, when more witnesses will be called to give evidence, and it is then expected to resume on a date yet to be fixed in March.