Man appears in court charged after Sunderland house explosion

• The house was demolished the day after the explosion

A man has appeared in court charged in connection with an explosion at a house in Sunderland.

Officers were called to an address on Whickham Street in Roker at about 3.45pm on 15 February, following a suspected gas explosion.

Two men were taken to hospital with serious injuries as a result, which resulted in a significant emergency service response. The men have since been discharged from hospital.

An investigation has been ongoing, which included assistance from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) into the circumstances surrounding the explosion.

Ian Lenaghan, 59, of Whickham Street, Sunderland, has now been charged with criminal damage with intent to endanger life.

He'll appear in court again on the 4th of May.

Detective Sergeant Alan Whittle, of Northumbria Police, said: “Enquiries have been ongoing ever since this incident and I would like to thank everyone – from our partners to the local community – for their cooperation and patience.

“We believe the cause of the explosion to be suspicious, and as such, a man has now been charged in connection with the incident and is due to appear before the courts.

“I would ask that everyone respects the live proceedings and please refrain from any speculation, both on social media and in the community, that could jeopardise the case.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting reference NP-20220215-0653.