The mother of two children who died after a carbon monoxide leak while on holiday in Corfu today warned other families of the dangers of the deadly gas.
Sharon Wood was speaking on the day she gave evidence to a court about the deaths of Christianne Shepherd, seven, and her six-year-old brother Robert, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, in October 2006.
Wood, who was not on the holiday, said she thought her children would be safe on the trip with their father, Neil Shepherd, and his partner, Ruth Beatson, because they were going with the reputable tour operator Thomas Cook.
Speaking to ITV News yesterday, Wood said: “I was so ashamed that I didn’t know about CO and that I couldn’t have made sure my children were safe when I let them come on holiday with their father.
“I really want to say to people who are about to book holidays or come out on holiday, don’t trust that your tour operator will have looked into that and checked that you’re safe. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security, you have to do that yourself.”
Wood described the deaths of her children and the ongoing court proceedings as “horrendous”.
She told the news programme: “They were full of life, and they were our life. It’s just so difficult to keep fighting on for the cause and to keep fighting for Christie and Bobby. To be here and to go through what we’re going through, for it to be prolonged the way they are prolonging, is just horrendous.”
Christianne and Robert died after being overcome by fumes from a boiler in their holiday bungalow on the Greek island.
Mr Shepherd and Ms Beatson both fell into a coma and were admitted to hospital but survived the poisoning.
Richard Carson and Nicola Gibson, who worked for Thomas Cook when the incident occurred, are accused of causing manslaughter by negligence in relation to the children and of causing bodily injury by negligence to Shepherd and Beatson.
Nine Greeks, including staff from the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel, are also due to be tried.