Overview
- Danielle Johnson, 43, and Louis Casson, 19, appeared at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court and were released on unconditional bail to attend Newcastle Crown Court on 10 February 2026.
- Johnson is charged with manslaughter and two counts of abstracting electricity covering 11 August to 21 November 2022 and 16 January 2023, while her son faces manslaughter and one abstraction count dated 16 January 2023.
- Co-defendant Craig Watson, 42, faces manslaughter and two electricity abstraction charges spanning 11 August to 21 November 2022 and 27 November 2022 to 16 January 2023.
- Prosecutors told the court the alleged electricity offences are intrinsically linked to the manslaughter case, though Calvin Smith, 37, faces only two abstraction counts and is not accused of killing the teenager.
- The charges follow a Vicarage Street house fire on 16 January 2023 in North Shields that killed 18-year-old Leah Casson as three others escaped, with Northumbria Police’s Major Investigation Team continuing its inquiry.