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Gas Fitter Jailed for Newborn Deaths, Out by Christmas
26 Feb
Summary
- A gas fitter received a jail sentence for his role in a fatal gas mix-up.
- The incident resulted in one newborn's death and another's lifelong injuries.
- He will be released on parole before Christmas this year.
A former gas fitter, Christopher Laurie Turner, 64, was sentenced on Thursday to two years and 10 months in jail for his involvement in a fatal gas mix-up at Sydney's Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital. Turner previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter and causing grievous bodily harm by omission.
In July 2015, Turner was subcontracted to connect neonatal oxygen lines, but mistakenly connected a nitrous oxide pipe to the oxygen outlet. This error, stemming from mislabelled pipelines installed in the mid-90s, led to newborns John Ghanem and Amelia Khan being administered nitrous oxide instead of oxygen.
Baby John Ghanem died in July 2016, less than an hour after birth, when he was supplied with nitrous oxide. Amelia Khan suffered severe brain damage in June 2016, resulting in lifelong blindness and confinement to a wheelchair. Turner had failed to perform crucial safety checks, despite certifying that he had.
Turner will be eligible for release on parole on December 24 this year, having already served a portion of his sentence. This sentencing follows a previous fine of $100,000 in 2020 for failing in his duty under the Work Health and Safety Act.
