A London council has prosecuted a builder – Valeriu Sandu, of Valmic Properties Limited – for lying about fitting sufficiently fireproof bedroom windows in a block of flats being rented privately. 

Sandu, of Romford, told Southwark council officers that three windows in three separate bedrooms at the block were 90-minute fire rated, when they were not.

Sandu was sentenced for two fraud offences; he received 12 months imprisonment for each offence, to be served at the same time.

However, the sentence was suspended for 15 months because the judge took into account his early guilty plea and personal circumstances. In addition, Her Honour Judge Karu sentenced Sandu to 70 hours unpaid work and costs of £10,000.

The three bedroom windows were close to smoke vents serving communal areas and escape routes. They would ordinarily need at least 60-minutes fire resistance for council approval, in line with Building Regulations.

Southwark council’s prosecution addressed two emails from Sandu to the council. These emails contained false information, to secure quick payment for Sandu.

The first email included a fake manufacturer’s invoice for the fire rated windows. It said they had been supplied, delivered and were 90-minute fire rated. 

However, during a site inspection a council building control officer noticed that the stated 60-minutes fire resistance was questionable, because air vents in the window frames would provide a path for fire and smoke.

When Southwark council declined to approve the windows on these grounds, Sandu suggested filling in the vent holes with intumescent fire sealant (this expands in heat situations to seal gaps). 

He went on to say he would contact the manufacturers to see if this would be a suitable option.

This led to the second fraud offence. Sandu forwarded another false email to Southwark council. This time Sandu said it was from the window manufacturers, confirming that the sealant could be used to resolve the air vent issue.

By this point, council officers were suspicious about the original invoice, as well as the follow up email, so they made contact with the alleged window manufacturer. The manufacturer confirmed that both emails were bogus and the matter was referred to the council’s Trading Standards team for investigation.

A spokesman for the council says: “The horror of Grenfell reminded us once again of the importance of prioritising fire safety. In this context, it is incomprehensible that a builder would fail in his basic duties to keep people safe, and then lie and attempt to deceive the council about the safety of the building.

“I hope that our prosecution and court result serve as a stark warning to anyone seeking to put personal gain before the safety of others, by ignoring important fire safety regulations.

“I am pleased that thanks to our Building Control and Trading Standards teams, Mr Sandu was punished for his crimes.”

Valmic Properties Limited later installed the correct windows.