A FIRE safety consultant was given a suspended prison sentence and community service for failing to provide proper fire risk assessments.

Brian Fakir, 59, pleaded guilty to 13 charges relating to failures in carrying out risk assessments at St David’s Hospice Care shops across South Wales at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday.

Fakir, of Phyllis Street, Barry, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years and ordered to undertake 180 hours of unpaid community work.

The South Wales Fire and Rescue investigation into Fakir was started after fires at the St David’s shops in Pontypool and Newbridge but the charges did not relate to those premises and no prosecutions were brought over either incident. They were connected instead to four other stores in Blackwood, Aberdare, Caldicot and Bargoed.

Speaking after the verdict, Steve Rossiter, head of business fire safety for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) said: “The court has sent a strong message to would-be fire risk assessors, that there is a clear expectation that as an assessor, you must be competent at carrying out a fire risk assessment.  “This means having a good understanding of fire safety requirements, both technically and practically.”