Record fine handed to ‘lost at sea’ criminal landlord during weird court appearance
Landlord Giuseppe Sutera, also known as Joe Sutera, refused to identify himself stating only that he was “a man” and that Joe Sutera was “lost at sea”.
A landlord who rents out homes in the South Gloucestershire and Bristol area has been ordered to pay over £44,000 after a court found him guilty of a serious housing offence and for contravening a Local Government Act.
Giuseppe Sutera, also known as Joe Sutera, attended Bristol Magistrates’ Court last month but refused to identify himself stating only that he was “a man” and that Joe Sutera was “lost at sea”.
landlord
As he had not properly identified himself the court decided that Joe Sutera was not in fact present and was found guilty in his absence.
He was ordered to pay a total of £44,270.26, which is a record fine secured by the council’s Public Sector Housing Team.
The court heard how Sutera had breached an Emergency Prohibition Order (EPO) served by South Gloucestershire Council’s Private Sector Housing Team by continuing to let a property where there were serious fire safety issues and where tenants’ lives were being put at risk. Sutera had also failed to respond to a notice served by the team requiring him to provide his address and details of the property he rents.
An unannounced inspection at a property in Patchway was carried out to assess whether any hazards were present that posed a risk to the health and safety of the tenants or visitors.
CATEGORY 1 HAZARD
A high Category 1 hazard for fire was established as there was the potential for serious injury or death to the occupants due to there being no safe escape route.
The shared kitchen (main picture) was located in the middle of the main escape route of the property.
There were no fire doors to any of the bedrooms and there were no working smoke alarms in the property.
A secondary escape route through the porch was also blocked by a makeshift kitchenette.
Councillor Leigh Ingham, Cabinet Member with responsibility for environmental health at South Gloucestershire Council, says: “The level of the fine in this case serves as a serious warning to all landlords.
“They have a legal responsibility to protect their tenants and provide a safe and decent property for them to live in. If they fail to do this, then the council will take action.”
