A care home owner has been jailed for six months after fitting a gas cooker without holding a Gas Safe registration.

Amarjit Sehmi, 66, of Crowhurst Care Home in Brentford, was sentenced after pleading guilty to two offences under sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and two offences under regulation 3 (1 and 3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

Sehmi ignored warnings by his employees not to install the cooker in the home in March 2022 as he was not qualified.

The staff member who used the cooker attended A&E later that evening with a heavy headache and disorientation.

Emergency gas engineers were called to the property and the gas cooker was found to be in a dangerous state and disconnected.

The care home workers reported the matter to Environmental Health at Rother District Council, who started the investigation which led to the conviction of Sehmi.

At the sentencing hearing at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday, September 5, Sehmi apologised for his behaviour, saying he would never touch a gas appliance again.

In sentencing Sehmi to immediate custody, Judge van der Zwart commented: “You do not need to be a gas engineer to understand the risk of gas.”

Addressing Sehmi, the judge continued: “You ultimately decided to install a cooker. You positively created a risk of serious injury or death when you had increased responsibility for vulnerable persons and members of the public nearby.”

Councillor Kathryn Field, portfolio Holder at Rother District Council, said: “This case is a sharp reminder to all landlords and employers. Only qualified professional engineers who hold Gas Safe registration can work on gas appliances and systems.

“If there are concerns about health and safety in the workplace, we listen and take action.”

The residents of Crowhurst Care Home were moved to new accommodation and the home closed in August 2022. The affected worker made a full recovery.