Touching Marvel funeral held for Newcastle explosion victim Archie York, 7, as suspect in court
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A seven-year-old boy who tragically died in an explosion at his home was laid to rest in a coffin draped with Marvel comic characters on the day a man appeared in court charged with his manslaughter. Archie York died when a huge blast ripped through houses on Violet Close in Benwell, Newcastle, on October 16. On the same day as he was buried, Reece Galbraith, 33, denied the manslaughter of Archie and Jason “Jay” Laws, 35, who also died in the explosion in the early hours of the morning.
Appearing at Newcastle Crown Court via a videolink, he also denied producing cannabis and a charge of supplying the class B drug from April 15 to October 17 last year. Galbraith, from Gateshead, was told his trial, expected to last seven days, will begin on May 12.
Mourners gathered at Newcastle's West Road Crematorium to say goodbye to Archie, who was a pupil at Benwell’s Bridgewater Primary School. A large crowd gathered outside the chapel to pay their respects to the little boy with some wearing Marvel-themed clothing at Archie's family's request.
Mourners stood in silence as the youngster's coffin was carried into the crematorium grounds in a white carriage pulled by two grey horses. His small coffin was covered in Marvel comic characters while each horse wore a blanket bearing Archie's name, one with a picture of Spiderman on and another with The Hulk.
A toy car and figure had been placed on top of the coffin along with a helmet, while a heart-shaped bouquet with a Marvel logo and a sash saying the word "brother" were placed beside it. Archie's coffin was then carried into the chapel for the service, led by humanist Tracy Heron, reported ChronicleLive.
