7 h. ago ‘Cheeky, kind and full of life’: Mum pays tribute to boy, seven, killed in drugs lab explosion as man jailed

Reece Galbraith jailed for 14 years after explosion in Newcastle terraced street that killed two peopleA man operating a cannabis drugs lab which caused an explosion in a terraced street has been jailed for 14 years for the deaths of two people, including a seven-year-old boy.The boy, Archie York, was asleep in the flat above the drugs lab being run by Reece Galbraith, 33, when the blast happened in the Benwell area of Newcastle in the early hours of 16 October 2024. Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago Man who killed boy, 7, in explosion while making cannabis gummies jailed

Archie York was asleep on the sofa with his father when the explosion ripped through the home

Events

9 h. ago Moment 'highly dangerous' drugs lab explodes killing cannabis dealer and seven

Reece Galbraith, 33, has been jailed for 14 years at Newcastle Crown Court for manslaughter after causing the death of two people in a house explosion while making cannabis 'gummies'.

Events

9 h. ago Mother’s warning as cannabis gummy factory explosion that killed boy caught on camera

An explosion that killed a seven-year-boy and a 35-year-old man happened when butane gas ignited during the “highly dangerous” process of producing so-called cannabis shatter in a small flat.

Events

9 h. ago What is cannabis shatter? The drug that caused deadly Newcastle blast

The process of making the drug is ‘inherently dangerous’, prosecutor says

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9 h. ago ‘You killed my son’: Explosion victim’s mother sobs as cannabis gummy dealer sentenced

Archie York was just seven years old when the blast ripped through his family’s home

Events

10 h. ago Man who killed child in blast while making cannabis gummies jailed for 14 years

Reece Galbraith and his friend Jason ‘Jay’ Laws were using a Newcastle flat as a drugs lab when a blast ripped through the building.

Events

10 h. ago ‘Highly dangerous’ cannabis shatter factory caused explosion that killed two

Police found the explosion that killed Archie York, seven, and Jason Laws, 35, in Newcastle was caused by a butane gas build-up in a drugs lab.

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10 h. ago Parents of boy, 7 killed in cannabis gummies blast will never forgive 'selfish' dealers

Little Archie York was fast asleep in his bed when cannabis dealer, Reece Galbraith caused a devastating explosion killing him and Galbraith's pal, Jason Laws in Newcastle

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10 h. ago Man killed boy, 7, in explosion while making cannabis sweets – today he learned his fate

Reece Galbraith was making cannabis gummies in the flat below little Archie York's home, when a huge explosion killed the boy and Galbraith's own friend

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15 h. ago Man to be sentenced over cannabis lab explosion which killed friend and child

Reece Galbraith has admitted manslaughter following the blast in Benwell, Newcastle, in October.

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20 h. ago Man sentenced for cannabis plant explosion which killed friend and boy, seven

Reece Galbraith has admitted manslaughter following the blast in Benwell, Newcastle, in October.

Events

3 d. ago Horrifying moment fairground waltzer came off the tracks and crashed at high speed

The car carrying three children came off the track at high speed during a family day at the shows.

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3 d. ago Horrifying moment fairground waltzer comes off the tracks and crashes at high speed

The car carrying three children came off the track at high speed during a family day at the shows.

Events

4 d. ago Crass, flashy, outrageous: Trump media blitz redefines meaning of presidential

White House communications have adopted a Trumpian air that’s ‘either completely malevolent or completely brilliant’There was a disturbance in the Force. Donald Trump celebrated “Star Wars Day” this week with an AI-generated image of himself as a muscle-bound warrior holding a red lightsaber in front of two US flags and eagles.It seemed like a bit of fun but appeared on the White House’s official X account with a dark political message: “Happy May the 4th to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting so hard to bring Sith Lords, Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, & well known MS-13 Gang Members, back into our Galaxy. You’re not the Rebellion – you’re the Empire. May the 4th be with you.” Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Girl, 14, was hit and killed as she crossed road by speeding driver who had taken cocaine and cannabis, inquest hears

Olivia Kolek was crossing Station Road in Rowley Regis, West Midlands, when she was struck by a silver Mercedes near the railway station on New Year's Eve in 2021.

Events

9 d. ago Met Gala: Most dangerous celeb beauty and fashion 'hacks' from drugs to last

The 2025 Met Gala is tonight, and celebs will be sure to look their best - but behind the scenes thousands is spent on drugs, surgery, and extreme weight loss tactics

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1 week ago Love Groundhog Day and Russian Doll? These are the novels for you

High-concept fiction is having a moment. Funny, inventive and crackling with big ideas, these ambitious stories will have you instantly hookedFlorence Knapp’s first novel The Names, publishing this month, tells not one story but three. As it opens, a mother is preparing to take her newborn boy to formally register his name. Will it be Bear, as his older sister would like, her own choice of Julian, or Gordon, named after his controlling father? The universe pivots on the decision she makes. Knapp plaits together the three stories that follow to trace the three different worlds in which the boy grows to manhood. Think of it as Sliding Doors for nominative determinism.In this universe, at least, it is going like gangbusters. Described as “the book of the fair” at Frankfurt two years ago, Knapp’s publisher secured the rights in a 13-way auction and it’s already due to appear in 20 languages. It is a prime example of a renewed interest in what might be called “high-concept fict...

Politics

1 week ago Council offer woman forced out of home over unsafe building room in drugs death hotel

Wendy Murray was forced from her home by the council due to an adjoining building being deemed dangerous - and was told to move into a hotel where nine drug users died.

Events

1 week ago The Guardian view on the US and Ukraine: is the natural resources agreement a big deal? | Editorial

The White House calls it ‘historic’. A more realistic estimate is that while Ukraine is glad to sign, this is not a shift in the big pictureThe Trump administration, with its customary rhetorical inflation, has hailed its mineral deal with Ukraine as “historic”. What the world’s most powerful nation says and does matters. But how much? And for how long? This is a government of caprice and chaos – losing its national security adviser, Mike Waltz, on Thursday after only three months in the job. Attempting to connect the data points can be like trying to join up the bug splats on a windscreen. The real issue is that the vehicle is still following the signs for Moscow.This moment looks like a high because US-Ukraine ties hit such a low, particularly with the Oval Office bullying of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reports that Washington is willing to recognise annexed Crimea as Russian. Key details of this deal have yet to be finalised in a technical agreement. The idea originated with Kyi...

Economics