Blast man faces crown court trail on arson charge

Mar 13 2008 by The Journal

A MAN appeared in court yesterday afternoon charged with causing a blast which left him with severe burns and destroyed his council-owned home.

Sean David Cavens, 26, now living at Burnside in Bedlington, appeared before South East Northumberland magistrates to answer a charge of arson – destroying property with intent to endanger life.

The court heard the matter related to the Blyth Valley Council-owned house on Twentieth Avenue in Blyth which was destroyed in an explosion at 6.40pm on Monday, April 16, last year.

The Crown Prosecution Service applied for the case to be fast-tracked to crown court, given the serious nature of the charge, and asked for a two-week adjournment. Magistrates agreed to send the matter straight to Newcastle Crown Court, where Cavens will appear on March 26.

The defendant, wearing a black suit, black shirt, and red tie in court and who spoke only to confirm his name and address, was given unconditional bail until then.

The Journal reported last April how children were playing in the street at the time of the blast.

Cavens, who was then working as a postman, had to be pulled from the rubble of his home by neighbours Billy Ward, 38, his partner Vicky Hopkinson, 37, and Steven Stones, 21.

He was later treated in Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary for serious burns. Police and the Health and Safety Executive launched an immediate investigation into the cause of the explosion while gas safety checks were carried out in the street by Blyth Valley Housing. Demolition workers arrived in the wake of the blast to make the site safe.