The 2020 death of a man living in a room behind a London Road café has led to the prosecution of the business owner and seen her and her company found guilty of four offences under Health and Safety laws.
Scene of tragedy: the café on London Road was found to have unsafe electrics
Mustafa Ozbek died in January 2020 after being electrocuted, caused by faulty connections installed at Adams Café Restaurant at 152 London Road in Broad Green.
Business owner Sukran Sanli appeared at Croydon Magistrates Court last week where she was ordered to pay £60,303 in fines and costs. Sanli also received a 26-week suspended prison sentence and was ordered to undertake 200 hours’ community work.
Croydon Council’s food and safety team had investigated the circumstances that led to Ozbek’s death, and found that Sanli had paid for work to be carried out on the premises by an unqualified electrician, first in 2016 and then again in 2019, four months before the fatal incident.
According to council officials, “Mr Ozbek’s electrocution occurred because there was no main earth connection to the incoming electrical supply and when a fault occurred on a circuit, the fuse did not operate to trip and cut off the electricity.
“This caused the metal pipework in the shower room to become live with a dangerous voltage which resulted in his death.”
Two Health and Safety Executive inspectors visited the premises and prepared a report regarding the electricity system. They also had a competent electrical contractor carry out a full inspection of the electrical installation.
The overall assessment was “unsatisfactory” with a number of items being identified as “potentially dangerous”.
Sanli pleaded guilty to four charges, two against her and two against her company, relating to offences under Section 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The council advises businesses to employ only qualified and competent electricians, accredited by the Electrical Contractors Association, (ECA), NICEIC or NAPIT. “Look out for the logos and check the registration of the electrician before allowing them to undertake work,” the council says.
There is more guidance on the HSE website.
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