Brother and sister died from carbon monoxide poisoning on Corfu holiday 'due to botched boiler work'

Tragic The siblings had complained of feeling unwell shortly before they died

Two young children died during a half-term holiday in Corfu from carbon monoxide poisoning due to "botched" work carried out on a boiler, a court has heard.
The inquests into the deaths of Bobby and Christi Shepherd began in Wakefield today, more than eight years after they died on the Greek island.
Outlining the case to a jury, coroner David Hinchliff said: "What should have been a very happy and relaxed half-term break became the most appalling tragedy."
The court was told how "bodged and botched" work carried out on a boiler allowed carbon monoxide to seep into the family's bungalow.
Heating engineering expert Thomas Magner gave evidence and explained that a safety cut-off device had been deliberately short-circuited, meaning the boiler would not turn itself off.
Guests staying in the adjacent bungalow had complained about not having any hot water the day before the Shepherd family started feeling unwell, the court heard.
As a result of this, hotel staff went to look at the boiler.

Horror: Dad Neil Shepherd and his wife Ruth at Wakefield Coroners Court

Asked by Leslie Thomas QC, for the family, whether this was most likely when the safety device was short-circuited, Mr Magner said: "It's the only conclusion I came to on the evidence available to me."
Coroner Mr Hinchliff described how Bobby and Christi, from Horbury, West Yorkshire, had been feeling unwell in their holiday bungalow the day before they were found dead by a chambermaid in October 2006.

The children's father, Neil, and his partner, now wife, Ruth, were both found in a coma in the bungalow.
Mr and Mrs Shepherd were both at Wakefield Coroner's Court today to see the jury of seven men and four women sworn in.
The children's mother, Sharon Wood, was also in court for today's proceedings.
Mr Hinchliff said: "The family of these children have waited a long, long time for this day to come."
Mr Hinchliff told the jury that the family arrived at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel on October 23 2006, and there was initially a problem with their accommodation as they were offered a room in the main hotel block.
But, the coroner said, they were eventually allocated a semi-detached two-bedroom bungalow in the grounds.
He said the children started to feel unwell on October 25, with Bobby tripping on the floor and appearing to be dizzy.
By bedtime, Bobby had recovered a little but his sister was still not feeling well.
The coroner said Mrs Shepherd also felt unwell that evening.
He told the jury that, after she went to bed, Christi started to cry and be sick.
Mr Hinchliff said the adults went into the children's room but cannot remember what happened after that.
He said a chambermaid let herself in the next day, at about 11am, and found Christi dead on the floor and Bobby dead in the bed.
The two adults were close by, both in comatose states.
Expert Thomas Magner explained how carbon monoxide from the boiler which supplied hot water to the bungalow had got into the building.
Mr Magner, who was instructed to examine the scene by tour operator Thomas Cook, said the boiler was housed in an outbuilding and supplied water to two adjoining bungalows.
He said the boiler had no flue to connect it to the outside, meaning that fumes from the burners built up inside the outhouse.
The engineer said there were gaps in the walls where air conditioning pipes went into the building and this allowed the lethal carbon monoxide into the ceiling space above the children's beds.

Questions: The family of Bobby and Christi have waited "a long, long time" for their inquests, a court heard

Mr Magner agreed with the coroner that, by British standards, this work had been "bodged and botched".
He said a third problem was that a water leak meant the boiler was working more than it should have been.
But the engineer said a crucial problem was that a safety cut-off device had been deliberately short-circuited, meaning the boiler would not turn itself off.


He said the Italian-made boiler appeared to have been installed in about 1997 or 1998.
The jury was also shown extracts from a BBC Panorama documentary which showed pictures of the rusting boiler and the hotel complex.
In it, the presenter said the family had paid almost £2,000 for the half-term break.
Mr Hinchliff told the jury that a post-mortem examination in Greece concluded that Bobby and Christi died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The hearing continues.