Fines and prosecutions


stated that he had ‘thwarted’ DSFRS attempts to inspect the house ‘because he knew they would shut it down and he would lose valuable bookings’. DSFRS also stated that the


‘number of serious failures’ at the property meant its officers believed that ‘in the event of a fire, people in the house would have been exposed to real risk of death or serious injury’. Judge Johnson, on sentencing Mr Knott, told him: ‘You flagrantly put at risk the safety of many members of the public. Your desire to make money rode roughshod over your legal duty to your customers to keep them safe. ‘You failed to carry out


even the most basic fire safety measures. In my judgment,


you thwarted the fire officers attempts to inspect so you could rake in large sums. You continued to allow the property to be used. It is said on your behalf that this was out of misplaced loyalty to your customers. I regard it as misplaced loyalty to your bank balance. ‘Even when you knew the


danger, you allowed it to be used in breach of an undertaking which you gave to the fire officers. What I regard as your arrogance continued when in November you wrote to say it was not in the public interest to take the matter further.’ Nick Jones, DSFRS protection


delivery manager, commented: ‘Mr Knott blatantly ignored the advice of the fire risk assessor


and deliberately misled the fire service regarding the use of his premises. He chose to put profit before the safety of his guests. This decision could have had serious consequences had a fire occurred at the premises. ‘We take the safety of people that visit and stay in Devon and Somerset very seriously. We believe that whilst many holiday let providers are aware of their responsibilities in relation to fire safety, many more casual holiday lets are perhaps not clear on what they must provide to comply with the [FSO]. Where holiday accommodation owners do not provide adequate fire safety measures, we will not tolerate this and will take the necessary enforcement action.’


‘Severe’ risks at Bristol property result in fine


DEEPAK SINGH Sashdeva has been prosecuted by Bristol City Council due to accommodation that ‘posed a serious risk to life’, including a wide range of fire safety dangers. ITV News reported on


the prosecution of Mr Singh Sashdeva under the Housing Act 2004 and the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2007, relating to accommodation he was renting out at his premises in Avonmouth. On inspecting the property, environmental health officers discovered three people ‘including two young children’ sleeping in cupboards ‘in the eaves of the roof’, with two separate living spaces housing nine people, including a pregnant woman. The officers said that the conditions were ‘some of the worst’ officers ‘working in this field have seen’, with the property ‘so badly built and managed that the tenants were constantly in serious danger’. In turn, the council deemed the risks ‘so severe’ that it had ‘little option but to formally order people not to live’ in the accommodation.


NEWS


The news outlet noted that this was a ‘prime example of a rogue landlord who has put the safety and welfare of tenants at risk’. Defects that were discovered within the accommodation and the property included ‘large gaps’ around fire doors, which therefore offered ‘no protection from potential fire or smoke hazards’. In addition, there was no functioning fire detection in place ‘prior to emergency smoke detectors being fitted by the council’.


Additionally, one of the studio flats ‘lacked basic ventilation’,


having no external windows and ‘limited access via a poorly maintained staircase’. At court, Mr Singh Sashdeva


– who was absent for sentencing – was found guilty, and was ordered to pay a fine of £87,000, as well as costs of £1,434 and a victim surcharge of £120. The magistrates overseeing the case ‘felt that the high penalty reflected the money made from the tenants’, given the ‘severity of complete disregard’ for tenants’ safety, ‘particularly children and the serious risk to life the property posed’


www.frmjournal.com JUNE 2020 21


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