Former Lord Mayor of Nottingham, Mohammed Munir, has recently been found guilty of fire safety breaches relating to his quilt manufacturing factory and sentenced to 26 weeks in prison.
Fire protection officers from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service initially visited the premises after concerns were raised about its safety by fire crews.
Officers identified a number of key areas for improvement and issued an enforcement notice to Mr Munir outlining what steps must be taken to make the building safe for employees.
Officers visited the factory on further occasions to see what progress was being made and to assist the owner, Mr Munir, in making the building fire safe. In addition to spending time with the defendant explaining his duties, extra time was granted to allow Mr Munir to effectively comply with the enforcement notice.
When it became apparent that Mr Munir had not met the deadline set by the fire service and continued to endanger his employees the prosecution process was initiated.
Mr Munir was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday 4th January. He pleaded guilty to six offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, these offences included:
- failing to carry out a sufficient risk assessment of the building
- failing to comply with an enforcement order
- failing to provide an effective means of escape from the premises
- failing to ensure that exit routes were clear at all times
- failing to provide adequate emergency lighting along escape routes and exits
- failing to ensure fire-fighting equipment was accessible
Magistrates sentenced Mr Munir to 26 weeks imprisonment (suspended for 2 years) and also ordered him to pay £4000 costs and carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.
It could be surmised that this sentence may have been more lenient if the lives of employees had not been so carelessly put at risk for such a length of time.
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Fire Service expressed regret that the case had to go this far after officers took time to make sure Mr Munir knew what was expected of him and what he had to do to meet requirements.
