Two cousins sustained severe facial burns after a companion allegedly sprayed fuel onto a pub heater, triggering an explosion, as revealed in court. April Charlesworth, 31, was marking her birthday with friends and her cousin Ashleigh Charlesworth, 32, at the Kings Head pub in Great Cornard, Suffolk. The court learned that Dale Carter, 30, a friend, was part of the celebration after April’s 28th birthday, which was the first gathering post the Covid-19 lockdown. Allegedly, he poured fuel from a bottle onto the heater.

Ashleigh, previously employed as a nurse, had to transition to a role as a clinician for the NHS 111 service due to her injuries. April, a mother of one, expressed, “It was difficult to readjust to normal life. It still is. I still don’t like going out by myself, it completely changed me as a person even now.”

Carter has refuted two charges of causing grievous bodily harm at Ipswich Crown Court. During the Wednesday court session, he clarified that he was not ‘fooling around’ during the incident in April 2021 but was trying to refill the fuel as it was depleting.

The trial is ongoing.

April Charlesworth suffered facial burns when the heater burst into flames.

Ashleigh Charlesworth endured painful burns on her face, chest, and hands.

The fireball erupted from a heater at The King’s Head pub in Great Cornard, Suffolk.

Both Ashleigh and April sustained burns on their face, chest, hands, and neck.

Ashleigh Charlesworth was commemorating her 28th birthday when the fire broke out.

April mentioned the challenges in “readjusting to normal life.”