A court in Greece has heard how two British children on holiday in Corfu died after carbon monoxide from a faulty boiler leaked into their room.

Neil Shepherd told the court that his two children began feeling unwell just 10 minutes after they went to bed.

Sky News reports that seven-year-old Christianne Shepherd and her six-year-old brother, Robert, were on holiday with their father and his partner when they died from respiratory failure, after gas leaked into their bungalow room from a faulty boiler in 2006.

Mr Shepherd and his partner Ruth Beatson spent three days in a coma after hotel staff found them, unaware that the children had died in their sleep in the bungalow.

Two staff members from Thomas Cook and members of staff from the Corfu hotel are on trial facing allegations related to failing to perform adequate safety checks on the boiler.

Solicitors representing Thomas Cook employees Richard Carson and Nicola Gibson expressed sympathy for the Shepherd family, as well as support for the holiday reps on trial.

‘What happened in Corfu was a terrible tragedy – and the thoughts and sympathies of everyone at Thomas Cook will always be with the family and friends of Christianne and Robert Shepherd,’ they said.

‘This tragic accident happened because of a unique and unforeseeable set of circumstances, for which neither Richard Carson nor Nicola Gibson are responsible and should not be blamed for in any way.’

The holiday personnel on trial – including the hotel manager – will all face a maximum sentence of five years in jail if found guilty of the charge of manslaughter by negligence.

The children’s mother, Sharon Wood, said:

‘We thought our children were going to have a happy holiday – but their safety was in the hands of others, who let us down.’

Mr Shepherd told the court that the family booked the trip through Thomas Cook partly because the travel agency had said all accommodation was vetted according to British standards. He told the court that he was unable to save the children because he was also overcome by the fumes.

The case will continue on 17 February.

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