Reece Galbraith, 33, denied the manslaughter of seven-year-old Archie York and Jason “Jay” Laws, 35, who died in a blast in Violet Close, Benwell, Newcastle, in the early hours of October 16.
Appearing at Newcastle Crown Court via a video link, he also denied producing cannabis and a charge of supplying the class B drug from April 15 to October 17 last year.
Archie York. (Image: Northumbria Police)
Galbraith, of Rectory Road, Gateshead, was told his trial, expected to last seven days, will begin on May 12.
Six other people were taken to hospital following the blast and dozens of residents had to leave their homes within a cordon.
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Paying tribute to Archie, whose funeral is also being held today (January 7), his parents previously said: “We are so broken as a family but Archie will live on in his baby brother Finley who is the spitting image of him.
“He might have been small but he had a heart of gold, everyone loved him.”
Loved ones of Jason Laws, who was pulled from the rubble, previously paid tribute to him as the “best dad in the world”. He will be buried later this week.