Three people have appeared in court charged in connection with the death of an 18-year-old woman in a house fire in North Shields. Leah Casson died following a blaze at her home in Vicarage Street on 16 January 2023.
Court appearances
Her mother, Danielle Johnson, 43, and brother, Louis Casson, 19, both of Holystone, North Tyneside, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to deny manslaughter. They appeared alongside Calvin Smith, 37, of North Shields, who also denied manslaughter.
Johnson and Smith additionally denied abstracting electricity between August and November 2022. All three defendants pleaded not guilty to a further charge of abstracting electricity from November 2022 to January 2023, the period when the fatal fire occurred.
Fourth defendant deceased
Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, informed the court that a fourth defendant, Craig Watson, who had also been charged in connection with the incident, had died in prison.
The three defendants were granted bail ahead of a four-week trial scheduled to begin on 5 October.
Background
Northumbria Police initially treated the fire as arson. At the time, Ms Casson’s family paid tribute, stating: “Leah was an outgoing, bubbly young woman who we loved so much and we can’t believe she has gone. Please let us grieve for her as a family and respect our privacy at this time.”
