‘Botched boiler’ led to deaths of two British children at Corfu hotel
An inquest heard yesterday how a member of hotel staff might have turned off a boiler safety device that led to the deaths of two British children from carbon monoxide poisoning in Corfu.
Giving evidence at an inquest into the deaths of Christianne Shepherd, aged six, and her seven-year-old brother Robert, the engineer who examined the boiler at Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel said it had been incorrectly installed.
Thomas Magner told Wakefield Coroners’ Court fumes from the boiler entered a bungalow where the children were staying with their father Neil and his partner Ruth on a Thomas Cook holiday.
Crucially, a safety device that would normally have shut down the boiler when fumes escaped had been disabled, he said.
The jury had been told that people staying in the adjacent bungalow had complained about having no hot water the day before the Shepherd family, from West Yorkshire, started feeling unwell and as a result a member of staff went to look at the boiler.
Asked by Leslie Thomas QC, for the family, whether this was most likely when the safety device was turned off, Mr Magner said: "It’s the only conclusion I came to on the evidence available to me."
Coroner David Hinchliff described the deaths in 2006 as ‘a most appalling tragedy’.
The inquest was delayed until this week due to legal proceedings in Greece, which led to the jailing of members of the hotel staff.
Thomas Cook was cleared of responsibility for the deaths and, in 2013, it was awarded damages against the hotel’s owner.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers