A Newcastle mother has been left 'heartbroken' after learning that her seven-year-old son's killer could be released from prison earlier than expected. Katherine Errington's son Archie York died in October 2024 when his family home in Benwell was destroyed by a massive explosion caused by gas canisters used for an illegal cannabis lab in the flat below.
Drug dealer Reece Galbraith, 29, was jailed for 14 years after admitting manslaughter in connection with the Violet Close tragedy. Galbraith, of Rectory Road in Bensham, was originally due to become eligible for release on licence after serving two-thirds of his sentence. However, under changes introduced by the Sentencing Act 2026 aimed at easing prison overcrowding, he could now be released at the halfway point of his term.
Katherine has been informed by HM Prison and Probation Service that Galbraith may fall under a batch of offenders who will serve only 50% of their sentence behind bars, with the remainder served in the community. The prospect of Galbraith being free after just seven years has left her 'absolutely raging' and 'heartbroken'.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Katherine said: 'For the upset that Galbraith caused for me, my family, the whole wider community… seven years is absolutely shocking. It makes me so angry. We need tougher laws, not being more lenient. Archie's was a very important, innocent life lost.'
The tragedy occurred just weeks after Archie's family and friends celebrated what would have been his ninth birthday by unveiling a nature trail created in his memory at Woolsington Parish Ponds. Katherine fears that reducing jail time for serious offences will not deter reoffending. She added: 'It is like we have never had time to grieve as a family because we are always fighting something.'
Galbraith's original jail term was referred to the Attorney General's Office Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme but was not sent to the Court of Appeal. Katherine has also campaigned for a change in sentencing guidelines so that criminals convicted of multiple serious offences serve their sentences consecutively rather than concurrently.
Galbraith received four separate sentences totalling 31 years, but because they are served concurrently, his actual jail term is 14 years. The sentences included 14 years for Archie's manslaughter, ten years for the manslaughter of Jason Laws (who died in the same explosion), four years for cannabis production, and three years for cannabis supply.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'This government inherited a prison system in crisis and we are fixing it… Without this decisive action, prisons would've run out of space entirely. Under our changes, prisoners who misbehave can face longer behind bars and those convicted of the most serious crimes will be excluded from earlier release.'
