Leicester corner shop blast

[clearedforlanding]

Three charged for Arson

[vetran]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/f...lery-s0ftmt28l

https://news.sky.com/story/two-more-...osion-11273106

hmm

If its arson why not charge with murder?

[DaveB]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/f...lery-s0ftmt28l

https://news.sky.com/story/two-more-...osion-11273106

hmm

If its arson why not charge with murder?

Arson and Manslaughter. They can't prove they intended to kill but they can prove the arson that resulted in the deaths.

[NickFitz]

If its arson why not charge with murder?

From the Criminal Damage Act 1971 Chapter 48:

Destroying or damaging property.

(1)A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another intending to destroy or damage any such property or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged shall be guilty of an offence.

(2)A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property, whether belonging to himself or another—

(a)intending to destroy or damage any property or being reckless as to whether any property would be destroyed or damaged; and
(b)intending by the destruction or damage to endanger the life of another or being reckless as to whether the life of another would be thereby endangered;shall be guilty of an offence.

(3)An offence committed under this section by destroying or damaging property by fire shall be charged as arson.

As the highlighted phrases shows (taken in conjunction with (3)), arson isn't just deliberately setting something on fire: if you do something, being reckless as to whether your actions could result in damage to property, and then they do and that damage is caused by fire, then you have committed arson.

And note that they've also been charged with manslaughter.

Bringing the two charges together: they are charged with having acted illegally in some way, having been reckless as to whether their illegal act(s) would result in the deaths of several people (manslaughter), and damage to property by way of fire (arson).

IANAL, this is not legal advice, etc.

[NickFitz]

Also worthy of note is that one of those charged is the shopkeeper, who was in the premises at the time. So either the other two had gone off him and set him up, or whatever they were doing that resulted in the explosion wasn't something they, or at least he, were actively doing at the time of the blast.

Unless he took the shop worker who was killed with him to the storeroom to watch him set off a bomb or something, which seems unlikely.

[BR14]

Also worthy of note is that one of those charged is the shopkeeper, who was in the premises at the time. So either the other two had gone off him and set him up, or whatever they were doing that resulted in the explosion wasn't something they, or at least he, were actively doing at the time of the blast.

Unless he took the shop worker who was killed with him to the storeroom to watch him set off a bomb or something, which seems unlikely.

as someone said earlier, a hamfisted attempt to bypass the gas meter?

[NickFitz]

as someone said earlier, a hamfisted attempt to bypass the gas meter?

Three people from all around the country to bypass one gas meter?

I'm actually starting to incline towards thingy off Facebook's illegal distillery idea as not being quite as far-fetched as it initially seemed.

Though dodgy builders doing gas installation work without being qualified or registered still seems more likely.

[OwlHoot]

But an illegal distillery needn't be for hooch. It could be for cannabis oil.

A canabbis oil distillery mishap is rumoured to be what caused the Grenfell Tower fire.

[Hertsseasider]

Illegal vodka distillery. Allegedly

[DaveB]

But an illegal distillery needn't be for hooch. It could be for cannabis oil.

A canabbis oil distillery mishap is rumoured to be what caused the Grenfell Tower fire.

Thats the rumour. The fact is that it was started by a faulty fridge freezer.

Grenfell Tower: Fire started in Hotpoint fridge-freezer, say police - BBC News