5th
Jan 2015
A conman plumber was handed a suspended prison sentence for lying to landlords when claiming he was a Gas Safe registered tradesman. The court was told that by fraudulently stating that he was Gas Safe registered,he was putting the tenants' lives at risk
The plumber, Keith Downie, handed out gas safety records to landlords for at least three properties in Darlington between February and May 2012.
A concerned member of the public told the Health and Safety Executive about their serious misgivings of Downie's actions and it immediately launched an investigation. The investigation ended with a prosecution in November at Darlington Magistrates’ Court.
The HSE's legal team informed the court that by law, all landlords must carry out safety checks for all gas appliances in their properties by a Gas Safe registered engineer, to ensure tenants' safety.
From the its investigation the HSE investigation uncovered that Downie had in fact handed out fraudulent gas safety records to the landlords, of at least three properties.
Besides lying about being Gas Safe, Downie also lied about being the engineer who had carried out the previous yearly check in two of the properties. The court was told that Downie had never been Gas Safe registered and was therefore not able to carry out the inspection competently.
The plumber was given a sixteen week suspended prison sentence for twelve months, ordered to complete 200 hours community work and was fined £500 in costs. Downie pleaded guilty to six breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
A spokesperson for the HSE said that “Downie displayed a deliberate and reckless approach to the law.”
PIMS related Gas Safety
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