A drug dealer has admitted killing a seven-year-old boy and a friend after a massive house explosion ripped through a Newcastle street during the illegal production of cannabis edibles.
Child Died as He Slept Above Drug Lab
Archie York was asleep alongside his parents and baby brother in their Benwell flat when the property below exploded in the early hours of October 16. The blast, caused by the use of 100 butane gas cannisters to make cannabis “shatter”, destroyed a section of Violet Close and left residents homeless. Archie and Jason “Jay” Laws, 35, both died in the explosion.
Dealer Changes Plea to Guilty
Reece Galbraith, 33, initially denied two counts of manslaughter but changed his plea to guilty during a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday. He also admitted producing and supplying cannabis between November 2023 and October 2024. He will be sentenced on May 14.
Flat Was a Dangerous Drug Lab
Police later found the downstairs flat had been turned into a cannabis concentrate lab, where Galbraith and Laws were producing “butane honey oil” for use in drug-laced sweets. The highly flammable process led to the deadly blast. Forensic investigators found 100 gas canisters and equipment with Galbraith’s fingerprints on them.
Mother Speaks of Heartbreak
Archie’s mum, Katherine, said: “As a parent and as a mother you try your best to keep your children safe, and that was took out of my hands. When they are in the house, that’s supposed to be the safest place.”
Police and CPS Warn of Dangers
Detective Chief Inspector Katie Smith called the method “exceptionally dangerous” and warned it could have killed more people. The Crown Prosecution Service said the explosion was the direct result of an illegal and reckless drug operation. Archie’s death has left the Benwell community devastated.
