Suspended sentence for fake Gas Safe engineer

An unregistered gas fitter has been received a suspended prison sentence for illegally installing a gas boiler and undertaking landlord’s gas safety checks at a privately tenanted property. 

The boiler he installed was later classed as dangerous.

Christian Winter, 35, trading as CJS Winter Plumbing & Heating Services of Ashburton in Devon, installed the gas boiler at a property in Kingskerswell, also in Devon. 

He then undertook landlord’s gas safety checks at the tenanted property despite having no competencies in gaswork or being registered with Gas Safe Register for any gaswork. He then deceived the landlord of the property by using a fictitious Gas Safe Register registration number on the landlord’s gas safety records he produced.

Exeter Crown Court heard Winter’s illegal gaswork came to light when the boiler he had installed and which he then passed as safe over the next three years was inspected by a properly registered member of Gas Safe. 

The gas engineer found a number of faults on the gas installation and classed the gaswork as dangerous.

On investigation the Health and safety Executive found Winter had used fraudulent Gas Safe registered details to deceive the landlord: when the landlord was informed of the defects she challenged Christian Winter but he continued to lie to her by stating that he was a registered gas engineer.

Winter pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3(3) and 3(7) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was given a suspended prison sentence of 12 months; ordered to undertake 200 hours unpaid work and to pay £3,327.80 costs.

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