4 charged in connection with fatal North Shields house fire
18 year old Leah Casson died in the fire, which broke out in January 2023
Four people have been charged following the death of a teenager in a house fire in North Tyneside, in 2023.
In the early hours of Monday, January 16, 2023, police were alerted to a fire at a residential address on Vicarage Street in North Shields.
Emergency services attended where tragically 18-year-old Leah Casson died at the scene.
Officers from Northumbria Police’s Major Investigation Team (MIT) launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death and the cause of the fire.
Detectives have now charged four people in relation to the investigation as follows:
Louis Casson, 19, of North Tyneside, is charged with manslaughter and one count of abstracting electricity.
Danielle Johnson, 43, of North Tyneside, has been charged with manslaughter and two counts of abstracting electricity.
Calvin Smith, 37, of North Tyneside, is charged with one count of abstracting electricity.
Craig Watson, 42, of no fixed abode, is charged with manslaughter and two counts of abstracting electricity.
All four people are due to appear before Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on December 17.
The Senior Investigation Officer in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Atherton, of MIT, said: “Following the fatal house fire which tragically claimed Leah’s life in January 2023, work has been ongoing since to investigate the circumstances of what happened that evening and this has now resulted in charges against four individuals.
“I would ask now that charges have been brought that the public refrain from speculation – both online and out in the community – and respect the ongoing legal process.”