A rogue landlord whose failure to fit a smoke alarm contributed to his tenant’s death has been jailed for 13 months.
Humraz Pinnu Shahid, 43, of Oakwood Lane, Leeds, spent years denying he owned the basement flat on Berkeley Grove (pictured) where Philip Sheridan died in a fire.
However, evidence unearthed during an investigation stacked up against him, including money being paid directly into Shahid’s account from his tenant, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Shop worker Philip, 32, paid £75 a week for the windowless flat in the cellar of a terraced house which did not have a smoke alarm.
He had fallen asleep and left his cooker on in the flat in the early hours of 26th June 2019 but when the fire took hold, the cooker was next to the door and blocked his exit.
A coroner concluded that the property was unsuitable for human habitation and that the conversion didn’t have planning consent or building regulation approval.
Emergency prohibition
Furthermore, a council inspection would have resulted in an emergency prohibition order because of all the hazards. Leeds Crown Court has now jailed Shahid for beaching health and safety regulations.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Marc Bowes (pictured), of West Yorkshire Police, says Philip Sheridan’s death was ‘entirely avoidable’ had Shahid taken his responsibilities to ensure a safe living environment seriously.
He adds: “We worked closely with Leeds City Council to bring this successful prosecution, and we hope that seeing Shahid held accountable for his flagrant breach of the regulations will serve as a clear reminder to other landlords and property managers who fail to meet their legal obligations to put the safety of their tenants first.”
Shelter said two years ago that the case is an example of why there should be greater regulation of landlords.
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