
Blast killer reece galbraith could be locked up for longer as sentence reviewed
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THE DRUG DEALER WAS JAILED FOR 14 YEARS FOR CAUSING VIOLET CLOSE EXPLOSION THAT KILLED SEVEN-YEAR-OLD ARCHIE YORK 15:22, 04 Jun 2025Updated 15:36, 04 Jun 2025 Killer drug dealer Reece
Galbraith could be locked-up for longer. The 33-year-old was jailed for 14 years last month after admitting manslaughter in connection with the explosion that killed seven-year-old Archie
York. But Galbraith could now be facing more time behind bars after a request to have his sentence reviewed was accepted. The killer's jail term has been referred to the Attorney
General's Office under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme (ULS). The scheme allows victims of crime, members of the public, and the Crown Prosecution Service to ask or certain crown
court sentences to be reviewed if they believe they are too soft The Attorney General's Office then has 28 days, from the date the original sentence was passed, to decide whether the
sentence should be referred to the Court of Appeal to be reviewed. Galbraith's sentence is currently "under consideration" by the office. Newcastle Crown Court heard how the
fatal explosion was caused by a dangerous cannabis lab Galbraith set-up in the flat below where Archie lived, on Violet Close in Benwell, Newcastle. The known drug dealer had been using
highly flammable butane gas to extract ‘cannabis shatter’ at the property, along with Jason Laws, 35, who was also killed. Galbraith, of Rectory Road, in Bensham, Gateshead, pleaded guilty
to two counts of manslaughter, producing cannabis and being concerned in the supply of cannabis. After he was sentenced Archie's heartbroken parents said they would never forgive
Galbraith for what he had done. And his mum Katherine Errington told the Chronicle that she hoped the killer would be haunted by her son's face for the rest of his life. Article
continues below The 27-year-old said: " "He's a monster, he's awful. I hope Archie's face haunts Reece for his whole life." And when asked outside court if 14
years in jail was long enough for the man that killed their son Archie's dad, Robbie York, also 27, simply said it was not. A huge police investigation was launched following the
explosion, which happened during the early hours of October 16 and destroyed several homes. Painstaking searches through the rubble of the ruined properties enabled detectives to prove the
blast was caused by the production of butane honey oil, otherwise known as cannabis shatter, used to make super-strong cannabis sweets. Galbraith, who had been arrested for possession of
drugs months earlier, had been using the flat below Archie's home to make the drugs. Cannabis shatter is produced by using liquid butane gas to wash over cannabis buds to extract an
extra strong substance. But the process is highly dangerous due to the highly flammable nature of the butane used. As well as stealing innocent Archie’s life the explosion also forced 142
residents from their homes and cost Newcastle City Council £3.7m. After seeing Galbraith jailed residents who have returned to their homes on Violet Close branded the sentence a
"disgusting". A 52-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, said: “I think it’s terrible for the distress of it all. It’s not a lot of time for a child’s life. You have got
the loss of life, and the damage and people having to leave their homes. They didn’t think of all them people around them. It could have been so much worse. It was just all about money. It’s
a disgusting sentence. It should have been a lot longer.” Article continues below And a 21-year-old woman, who has recently moved into a home on Violet Close with her baby, said she had
expected Galbraith to be locked up for longer. “I don’t think his sentence is great. He knew how dangerous it was” she said. “Fourteen years for that is a disgrace. It’s no justice at all.
He’s took a life. That bairn had his whole life ahead of him." No date has yet been set for a court hearing about Galbraith's sentence.