An odourless toxic gas leak is said to have caused the deaths of Neil Moon and Jonathan Collins as they worked
Zahra Khaliq News Reporter and Olivia Bridge Reporter in Live News Network
13:25, 01 Apr 2026
Neil Moon died after unknowingly stepping into lethal gas (Image: SWNS.com)
Two pest control workers were tragically found dead with frozen faces in a ‘one-man-width’ passageway at a chicken factory in the winter of 2018. Neil Moon, 49, and Jonathan ‘Jon’ Collins, 34, were carrying out a routine job when a toxic gas caused them to suffocate, a court has heard.
At around 1am on October 4, 2018, the bodies of Neil and Jon were found in a small passageway at Banham Poultry factory in Norfolk. The pair were carrying out a routine pest control job at the factory when it is claimed a toxic gas leaked into the space they were in and killed them.
Prosecutors have described the incident as a “cavalier” safety failure, while Neil’s and Jon’s families say their lives “changed forever” after the sudden deaths.
Norwich Crown Court heard there were no warning signs that the ‘one-man-width’ passageway Neil and Jon were working in had a build-up of lethal gas. The pair died from asphyxiation as the nitrogen gas filled the small space while they carried out pest control work at the side of the chicken factory, reports The Mirror.
Jon Collins tragically died in the one-man-width passageway with his colleague(Image: SWNS.com)
Prosecutor Craig Hassall KC said: “Ultimately, they were killed by a colourless, odourless gas. When they walked into the passageway they were given no warning of the risks.”
The men’s bodies were found when their families contacted police when they failed to return home from work. Neil and Jon were found in the one-man-width corridor between the factory and nearby railway tracks, with evidence of frozen hands and faces.
CCTV footage played to the court showed the pair arriving at the factory at around 8.30am. They were last seen alive at 11.40am. Relatives reported the men missing after they failed to return home that evening, sparking a search which led to the horror discovery.
The toxic gas had come from a dislodged duct pipe connected to a chilling system that the factory used to process chickens, the court heard.
The scene outside the poultry factory after the bodies were found(Image: Harry Hubbard / SWNS.com)
Mr Hassall told the court: “When these men entered the passageway ducting had become detached, pumping concentrated nitrogen into a narrow space.”
Concerns had been raised in the past about mist drifting across railway platforms near the site, the hearing was told.
This led to a number of changes to the system in the months before the men were found. But Mr Hassall said the work had not been carried out safely, arguing the company had failed to protect workers on site.
Banham Poultry Limited and Air Products plc have admitted health and safety offences on the basis that the breaches caused the deaths.
The men’s families spoke of their devastation in emotional statements read to the court. Jon’s wife Gillian said: “My life stopped but I had to find the strength to carry on for our son.”
“I still don’t know why it has taken these companies seven a half years to accept responsibility for causing these deaths,” she added. “The careless and reckless actions of those responsible have had catastrophic consequences.”
Their daughter Dakota described Jon as an “amazing father”. She added: “My dad was a kind and caring man just doing his job. They were robbed of their lives.”
Neil’s fiancée Sara Dutton described him as a “strong and devoted family man”, adding: “My life and the lives of my children changed forever. Our grief has not diminished over time. I have had seven years just treading water. Not really living, just waiting for the truth.”
The sentencing hearing is due to conclude after two days.
