Suspended sentence for lapsed gas engineer
A lapsed gas engineer has been handed a suspended prison sentence after carrying out illegal gas work in Torquay that left the house with Immediately Dangerous defects. Exeter Court heard that Benjamin Owen, trading as BPS and Ben the Plumber, attended a property on Barton Hill, Torquay in February 2023, where he removed an old boiler and installed a new one.
Following the installation, the boiler did not work properly, said HSE, prosecuting. The homeowners arranged for another company to check the installation after Mr Owen was dismissive of their concerns. The company that attended had serious concerns and called the Emergency Service Provider, which found an escape on the gas supply pipe. It classified the situation as Immediately Dangerous and capped the gas supply.
Gas Safe Register inspectors found further defects with the installation, as did a third company employed by the homeowners to rectify the faults.
The HSE investigation found that Ben Owen was not Gas Safe registered, although he had been until October 2021.
Ben Owen, of Peter Street, St Hellier. Jersey. pleaded guilty to contravening Sections 3(3), 26(1) and 27(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and to pay costs of £1,000.
After the hearing HSE inspector Simon Jones said: “Ben Owen undertook gas work which he knew he was not registered to do and the work that he undertook was found to be dangerous, putting the lives of the homeowners and their four young children at risk.”
