19 July 2012
A landlord who put students at risk by breaching fire safety regulations has been given a suspended nine month jail sentence.
Property developer, Robert Price, 52, was also ordered to pay £40,000 in fines and costs at Leicester Crown Court. The fines and costs must be paid within four months with the jail sentence suspended for 12 months.
Price pleaded guilty to three fire safety offences at an earlier hearing at Leicester Magistrates’ Court but was committed to Leicester Crown Court for sentencing because of the seriousness of the offences.
The court heard that Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service officers discovered that students were living in Lillie House, Condit Street, in Leicester city centre on 5 October 2010. At the time this property was still in the process of being converted to student accommodation.
Fire officers were tipped off by a member of the public and found that the accommodation had serious fire safety failings. A prohibition notice was issued to prevent it from being used. The site was re-visited by fire officers and was found to be in use, in breach of the prohibition notice.
Sentencing Price, His Honour Judge Robert Brown said: “I take a serious view of these matters. Health and safety should at all times be your highest priority as a property developer. It was not. You put profit for yourself above the safety of the students who were going to live in the accommodation you provided. Your conduct I am satisfied fell far below the safety requirements required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.
“You clearly had prior knowledge of the deficiencies not just the day before the students had been in the property for a month. You failed to heed the warning of the architect. You ignored that advice. You failed to heed the warning of the fire safety officers and when a prohibition notice was issued you breached not once but twice. You knowingly allowed occupation when fire safety standards were inadequate and that it was financially motivated.”
A second defendant, Craig Derrick, the site foreman, pleaded guilty to one offence and was ordered to pay £5,015 in fines and costs on 22 June 2012 by Leicester Magistrates Court for breaching a fire safety prohibition notice.
Rick Taylor, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, area manager for community safety said: “The sentences reflect the seriousness with which such a flagrant breach of fire safety legislation is viewed. Those put at risk were young students, many of whom were away from home for the first time, placing their trust in Price. These students were let down and misled into believing they could return to their accommodation, despite the serious fire safety failings.”
From info4fire
Property developer, Robert Price, 52, was also ordered to pay £40,000 in fines and costs at Leicester Crown Court. The fines and costs must be paid within four months with the jail sentence suspended for 12 months.
Price pleaded guilty to three fire safety offences at an earlier hearing at Leicester Magistrates’ Court but was committed to Leicester Crown Court for sentencing because of the seriousness of the offences.
The court heard that Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service officers discovered that students were living in Lillie House, Condit Street, in Leicester city centre on 5 October 2010. At the time this property was still in the process of being converted to student accommodation.
Fire officers were tipped off by a member of the public and found that the accommodation had serious fire safety failings. A prohibition notice was issued to prevent it from being used. The site was re-visited by fire officers and was found to be in use, in breach of the prohibition notice.
Sentencing Price, His Honour Judge Robert Brown said: “I take a serious view of these matters. Health and safety should at all times be your highest priority as a property developer. It was not. You put profit for yourself above the safety of the students who were going to live in the accommodation you provided. Your conduct I am satisfied fell far below the safety requirements required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.
“You clearly had prior knowledge of the deficiencies not just the day before the students had been in the property for a month. You failed to heed the warning of the architect. You ignored that advice. You failed to heed the warning of the fire safety officers and when a prohibition notice was issued you breached not once but twice. You knowingly allowed occupation when fire safety standards were inadequate and that it was financially motivated.”
A second defendant, Craig Derrick, the site foreman, pleaded guilty to one offence and was ordered to pay £5,015 in fines and costs on 22 June 2012 by Leicester Magistrates Court for breaching a fire safety prohibition notice.
Rick Taylor, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, area manager for community safety said: “The sentences reflect the seriousness with which such a flagrant breach of fire safety legislation is viewed. Those put at risk were young students, many of whom were away from home for the first time, placing their trust in Price. These students were let down and misled into believing they could return to their accommodation, despite the serious fire safety failings.”
From info4fire
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