A man was yesterday (Tuesday 22 August) sentenced to ten months in prison after he “turned a blind eye” to fire safety advice about his Arnold store.
Mohamed Mustafa Abdul Hasan, who appeared at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday morning, pleaded guilty to four offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
He was handed immediate custodial sentences for each of the four offences – which include breaching a Prohibition Notice and having a lack of appropriate fire detection at premises formerly known as RM News, 150 Front Street, Arnold – of which he was responsible for.
He was given a 10 month sentence for the first offence, down from 12 months for a guilty plea, and 5.5 months for the second, down from 6 – again for the guilty plea.
In addition to this he was given six months each for failing to provide a safe escape route and failing to provide any emergency lighting – both of these were reduced from 9 months.
His sentences will be served concurrently and he has also been ordered to pay prosecution costs of £13,815.50.
Passing sentence, Her Honour Judge Coe QC said that Mr Hasan had “turned a blind eye” to advice given not only by the fire and rescue service, but also by his own fire risk assessor.
She also said that the sentence would send out a message for this type of offending.
Group Manager Mark Mortimore, Head of Fire Protection for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We welcome and support the comments made by Her Honour Judge Coe QC when passing sentence.
“Prohibition Notices are extremely serious matters and, in the rare circumstances they are issued, must be taken seriously. They are only issued where there is an immediate risk to life or serious injury to those using the premises.
“Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service does and will always seek to work with and support business owners, particularly during the current economic climate. However, staff, members of the public and visitors using premises within Nottingham and Nottinghamshire should feel reassured that they can do so safely.
“We hope that sentences such as these confirm to the public that we do take fire safety matters very seriously, and that we are committed to creating safer communities for us all to enjoy.”
