Man to face building explosion charge
A man is expected in court today to be charged in connection with a fatal explosion at an apartment block in Southampton exactly a year ago.
The blast at Hilltop Court claimed the lives of Oscar and Jove Mascarinas, a couple from the Philippines.
Police and fire investigators spent months examining the incident, which happened at about 8.50pm on May 2, 2022.
Their findings were presented to the Department of Public Prosecutions earlier this year for a decision to be made on whether there would be a public prosecution.
Cindy Clarke, the Director of Public Prosecutions, told The Royal Gazette last week: “I can advise that a prosecution has been approved, and the defendant will appear in plea court on May 2.”
The details of the charge are expected to be made known at today’s hearing.
Five people were taken to hospital after the explosion, which extensively damaged the Southampton apartment block.
Mr Mascarinas was seriously injured and later pronounced dead at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.
The 49-year-old was a popular, longstanding member of staff at Aberfeldy Nurseries in Paget.
Dawn Yaxley, who was a colleague of Mr Mascarinas at Aberfeldy, said she planned to visit the Railway Trail memorial to her co-worker and his wife today to “leave flowers and reflect”.
“We were very close – he was such a lovely gentleman, and Jove was lovely as well,” she said. “He came to my wedding.
“We shared a lot. His birthday is the same as my husband’s and I used to send his children little Cadbury’s chocolate eggs when they were small, because Oscar had been here for 16 years.”
Ms Yaxley recalled picking her friend up from the airport when he arrived in Bermuda and helping him to get his driving licence.
“We used to have a good laugh. Oscar was very good fun.”
She said Ms Mascarinas had made a raspberry cheesecake every year on his birthday and that she would eat a slice on the anniversary to remember him.
Desiree Burrows, another former colleague, said she still missed his smile and easygoing personality a year on.
“Oscar was popular with everybody and he always seemed to be in a friendly mood,” she said.
“Oscar was as great with people as he was working with plants. It hit us all hard, and it’s still a big miss.”
He was a familiar sight at many Hamilton businesses, where he regularly made stops to water and care for plants.
Mr Mascarinas was said to be a devoted parent who kept in frequent contact with his children in the Philippines and was active in the Radnor Road Christian Fellowship.
His 50-year-old wife was also critically injured in the blast and was pronounced dead eight days after it took place.
Mrs Mascarinas’s work included child minding.
Originally from the Philippines city of Baguio, on the northern island of Luzon, she worked extensively overseas, caring for children in Hong Kong and Europe.
The three other people injured in the blast, who were treated in hospital and later discharged, were men aged 31, 57 and 82 at the time.
• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding criminal court cases. This is to prevent any statements being published that may jeopardise the outcome of that case.
