OVER three years after a gas explosion in Chippenham which left Kyle Roe with life-changing injuries, magistrates have today (Monday) begun to hear evidence in the trial of a Corsham man in connection with the blast.

Roderick Standing, 63, of Station Road, Corsham pleaded not guilty last December to a charge that, being an employer, he failed to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure that, so far as was reasonably practicable, persons not in your employment were not exposed to risks to their health and safety.

His trial was due to be held in May, but the coronavirus pandemic meant the case was not listed at Salisbury court until today.

Kyle Roe's mother Tracy said: "Finally three years on the trial begins. Sadly Kyle continues to live with the trauma from this horrific event, with ongoing medical treatment for his burns and PTSD."

Kyle, who was then just 19, suffered 87 per cent burns to his body in an explosion in his newly-refurbished flat off Chippenham Market Place. The Morrisons supermarket worker was caught in the explosion, which happened when he returned home from work.

He was rushed to Morriston Hospital in Swansea, where there is a specialist burns unit, and placed in an induced coma for seven weeks. He spent over a year in hospital, during which time the family home in Chippenham was adapted so he could return to live with his mum, dad and brothers.

At the time of the first hearing in December, Mrs Roe said Kyle, a former pupil at Sheldon School, had wanted the prosecutions to go ahead and that he had been suffering mentally as well as physically since the explosion.

Tracy said: “The hardest part for him is trying to accept what his new life is going to be compared to what it would have been. He was a very sporty person, very outgoing and he had a career. He had a motorbike that he loved which he will never ride again.

“He doesn’t like how his body now looks, and he must accept he looks different, which he hasn’t yet.

Kyle’s dad, Chris, has become his full-time carer, and his three brothers, Kallum, 23, Connor, 14, and Findlay, nine, have found it tough coming to terms with Kyle’s injuries.

Mrs Roe said in December: “The Health and Safety Executive have been excellent and have kept Kyle informed all the way. Kyle just wants justice.”

A separate H&S Executive prosecution into company Prestige EA Ltd, from Bristol, was also launched last December, and is expected to continue once the case against Standing has concluded.

His trial has been listed to last a week, with a result not due until Monday.