Leah Casson, aged 18, tragically died following a house fire at her home on Vicarage Street, North Shields, on 16 January 2023.
Her mother, Danielle Johnson, 43, and brother, Louis Casson, 19, both residents of North Tyneside, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court denying charges of manslaughter and electricity abstraction related to the fire.
Both Danielle Johnson and Louis Casson pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charges. They appeared alongside Calvin Smith, 37, from North Shields, who also denies the manslaughter allegation.
In addition to the manslaughter charges, Johnson and Smith face allegations of electricity abstraction covering the period from August to November 2022. All three defendants deny abstracting electricity between November 2022 and January 2023, the time leading up to the fatal fire.
Prosecutor Richard Wright KC disclosed that a fourth defendant, Craig Watson, who was also charged in connection with the case, died in prison before the trial commenced.
The three remaining defendants were granted bail ahead of their four-week trial, which is scheduled to begin on 5 October at Newcastle Crown Court.
Originally published by UKNIP.
