FSO Breach : Milton Keynes Landlord Jailed

29^th March

The landlord and registered owner of a house in Milton Keynes where a mother and her young daughter died in a fire in 2010 has been sent to prison for four months and ordered to pay £10,000 costs.

Lookman Adeyemi, aged 38, of Buckfast Avenue, Bletchley, appeared for sentencing this afternoon before His Honour Justice Lord Parmoor at Amersham Law Courts.

Mr Adeyemi pleaded guilty at the same court on 8 March to three counts of breaching fire safety regulations. The counts were that he placed people at risk of death or serious injury in case of fire because:

· He failed to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk.

· He failed to ensure that, in the event of danger, it was possible for people to evacuate the premises as quickly and as safely as possible.

· There were insufficient fire detectors and alarms at the premises.

The case against Mr Adeyemi was brought by Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, following a fire at 200 Fishermead Boulevard, Fishermead, Milton Keynes, on 5 September 2010.

Sentencing him, His Honour Justice Lord Parmoor said: "Although your failings did not cause the fire, the fact that one of your tenants and a child died is some indication of the risk run by your tenants, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"You were not dealing with rich people. These were people, some of whom did not have a job. You were dealing with a very vulnerable clientele."

Senior fire safety officer Chris Bailey from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, speaking outside the court afterwards, said: "Mr Adeyemi provided accommodation and received rent on the basis that the residence was a house in multiple occupation. The residents paid not only for the provision of accommodation, but also for the peace of mind that they were renting a place to live that was safe from fire. Mr Adeyemi failed in his legal duty to provide adequate fire safety arrangements at this address.

"The sentence should act as a reminder to all landlords who provide rented accommodation as part of a house in multiple occupation. They must give proper consideration to the provision of fire safety arrangements, and to the suitable management of these measures once the premises is occupied.”

Ends