Man deliberately blew up his house -prosecutors
PA MediaAn explosion which destroyed a man's home and significantly damaged neighbouring houses was set off deliberately, a court has heard.
Prosecutors said Andrew McCubin, 57, interfered with the gas supply at his rented accommodation on Kirkland Walk shortly before a blast in June, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Minutes before the explosion, he told neighbours he could smell gas but did not mention it while talking to the utility company, the court heard.
Mr McCubin is accused of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, with a hearing being held in his absence after he was found unfit to stand trial due to his mental health.
Mr McCubin had been a tenant at the two-bedroom semi-detached home since 2017, prosecutor Christopher Baker said.
The court heard in the weeks before the explosion he had expressed suicidal thoughts.
On the morning of 18 June, Mr McCubin asked two neighbours if they could smell gas and told one: "Well, that's us all going up then."
He told another man he could smell and hear gas coming from a loose pipe and was advised not to ignite any fires and contact his energy supplier.
After speaking to the neighbours, he called Northern Gas about topping up his electrical meter but at no point did he mention there was a problem with his gas supply, the court heard.
The house exploded at about 12:45 BST with Mr McCubin badly burned, Mr Baker said.
An expert concluded a pipe in a cupboard had been disconnected and that could only have been done deliberately, the court heard.
"It was not an accident," Mr Baker said, adding CCTV showed Mr McCubin as the only person going in and out of the home that morning.
The prosecutor told jurors: "The question you have to focus on is whether the prosecution have made you sure that it was Mr McCubin who interfered with the gas supply."
The lettings agent responsible for managing the property said Mr McCubin had been a "difficult" tenant.
He visited the property twice in April as the house was being sold but Mr McCubin was "reluctant" about letting him in, becoming agitated and angry, the court heard.
When the agent did gain entry he found the house was an "absolute tip" with cat litter and excrement all over the floor downstairs, rubbish overflowing in the kitchen and a strong smell of cat urine and faeces throughout, the court heard.
The gas supply was inspected on 16 April and found to be in "perfectly functioning working order", Mr Baker said.
The trial continues.