A woman who tragically lost her life in an explosion managed to save a child with a single instruction. Joanne Shaw, 35, died after her former partner detonated a grenade on the doorstep of her parents' home in Frenchay, Bristol.
A neighbour revealed how Joanne directed the youngster to play outside on the trampoline when a heated argument broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning (May 3). Stuart Blanchard, who lives just a few doors away, said: 'I spoke to the guy who called 999 and he said the child was out on the trampoline. It will haunt them. She probably told the child to go out there to get out of the way of them arguing. I was woken to her shouting 'go away, go away' and then there was this loud boom that shook my door and windows.'
Avon and Somerset Police identified Joanne and her ex-partner Ryan Kelly, 41, as the two victims of the blast. The force confirmed the couple had a history of domestic incidents and referred itself to the police watchdog. Kelly, 41, who had previously been convicted as a foot soldier in a Breaking Bad-style drugs gang, allegedly arrived at Joanne's home armed with a grenade and detonated it on the doorstep.
Neighbour Stuart went on to say: 'The partner's gone there in a mental state. It wasn't Jo's house, it was her parent's, she just lived there. She had split up with him and I think she moved there to escape from him.' He continued: 'Another friend said he saw the police giving Jo CPR but when the explosives team arrived they had to leave in case there were more explosions. It was awful for them. I used to see Jo most mornings when I was walking the dog, she was a lovely woman.'
Officers rushed to the terraced property in the Frenchay area of Bristol at 06:17am on Sunday morning, following reports of a domestic incident. The explosion occurred shortly after 06:30am. A friend of Joanne's mother told the Mirror she instinctively sensed the blast was connected to Ryan Kelly. 'I'm afraid I just knew it had to be him because of what's gone on with him before,' she said. 'I haven't spoken to my friend since it happened and I can't begin to think how she's coping with this. It's just terrible when bad men do bad things. She was the loveliest, kindest lady and she didn't deserve this. The family doesn't deserve it.'
Neighbour Michael Gwyther, who recognised Kelly, said: 'I just heard a blast, I thought someone was trying to kick through the door. They have been quiet recently. It was frightening and it set the dog right off.' Another local resident, Kwestan Ahmed, commented: 'I heard screaming and shouting but I'm not sure if it was them or the police. I thought the bang was a car crash, I'd never think it could be a bomb.'
Kelly was handed a five-year prison sentence in 2015 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine as part of a crystal meth gang led by a 78-year-old battling cancer. The trial revealed how the OAP ran the plot from behind bars despite his illness, recruiting a self-taught chemist to establish a laboratory and produce the highly addictive drug crystal meth. He assembled a UK-wide team, which included Kelly, who obtained a kilo of cocaine with plans to sell it for £60,000 in order to purchase chemicals and equipment from the Netherlands needed to manufacture the drugs. The case drew comparisons to the US TV show Breaking Bad, in which high school chemistry teacher Walter White starts making crystal meth to raise money after he is diagnosed with lung cancer. However, unlike the fictional version, the real-life plot was busted before they could start work, after undercover police bugged their cars.
Avon and Somerset Police Superintendent Matt Ebbs stated: 'We know people will be shocked and upset to learn of the horrendous events that happened on Sunday morning. Jo's death has been officially recorded as a homicide based on the information known to us at this time. We are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death. We know everyone's thoughts and sympathies will be with her devastated family. Specially-trained officers are providing them with updates and support. We recognise there is significant interest in what happened, but at the centre of it there are many people grieving and we would please ask everyone respects that and gives them the privacy they want. Police activity continues to be carried out at the property in Sterncourt Road and we expect this will take several days to be completed. We would like to reassure the public there is not believed to be any wider risk to safety and this is not being treated as terrorism-related.'
