Three gross negligence manslaughter arrests following fatal Jersey explosion

States of Jersey Police said all three suspects had been interviewed and bailed while the investigation continues.

The aftermath of the explosion in Jersey in December last year (Daniel Hunt/PA) (PA Media)

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after an explosion at a block of flats killed 10 people.

States of Jersey Police said the trio have been released on bail while the investigation continues following the fatal blast in the island’s capital St Helier just after 4am on December 10 last year.

The force urged islanders not to speculate on the identities of those arrested and said the victims’ families continued to be updated on the probe.

Police said the suspects were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday and have been interviewed by detectives as part of Operation Spire, which is being conducted alongside the Health and Safety Inspectorate.

A total of 21 officers from the force have been seconded full time on the investigation.

Since the probe began, police said there have been 708 statements recorded, 1,276 exhibits obtained, 3,933 documents generated, and 1,307 lines of inquiry pursued.

The 10 victims of the blast were Peter Bowler, 72, Raymond (Raymie) Brown, 71, Romeu and Louise De Almeida, 67 and 64, Derek and Sylvia Ellis, 61 and 73, Ken and Jane Ralph, 72 and 71, Kathleen McGinness, 73, and 63-year-old Billy Marsden.