Holiday Reps Cleared

Two holiday reps have been cleared of manslaughter after a brother and sister died of carbon monoxide poisoning while holidaying in Corfu.

Christianne Shepherd, 7, and her brother Robert, 6, from West Yorkshire, were found dead in their bungalow by a maid at the four-star beachfront hotel on Gouvia Bay in late 2006.

Fumes from a gas-fired boiler leaked into the Louis Corkyra Beach hotel bungalow on the island through a small hole in the wall, an autopsy showed.

Thomas Cook representatives Richard Carson, 28, and Nicola Gibson, 26, were cleared of manslaughter by negligence.

Georgios Chrysikopoulos, head of the technical department at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel in Gouvia where the children were staying with Mr Shepherd, and hotel electrician Christos Louvros were each sentenced to seven years imprisonment after being found guilty of manslaughter.

Civil engineer Dimitrios Xidias was placed on probation for two years for breaching building regulations after it was found that the fumes leaked into the building from an outhouse next door.

Eleven people had originally stood trial.

The children's parents have spoken out following the courts decision to clear the reps. They said they were still seeking answers from the holiday firm.

Mr Shepherd awoke days after the incident, which also put his partner Ruth Beatson in a coma, to be told his children had died.

He said outside the court in Corfu Town: "This was no accident and their deaths could have been avoided.

"We stand here today three-and-a-half years on and our fight for justice has culminated in those responsible being brought to justice. All of them in one way or another contributed to the catalogue of errors that killed Christi and Bobby and almost killed us.

"Each and every one of them apologised for Christi and Bobby’s death but not one of them had the courage to admit any wrong doing.

"If just one person had done their job correctly, Christi and Bobby would be here today.

"Nobody deliberately set out to cause Christi and Bobby’s death but everyone who worked on or knew about the disgusting state of the boiler, in our eyes were grossly negligent.

"We paid money to Thomas Cook to send us to a hotel they considered safe. Our faith in this company was misplaced and abused."

Travel firm Thomas Cook said it was pleased two of its representatives were found not guilty by the Greek court.

(LB/BMcC)