Adrian Farrow acts for businessman in HSE prosecution

May 21, 2015

Adrian Farrow from Exchange Chambers acted for businessman, Mohammed Shafi Karbhari, who was prosecuted by HSE following an incident in which a Lithuanian worker died while working at a building he owned.

The worker, Ivars Bahmanis, a 55 year old Lithuanian national living and working in Blackburn, was involved in building work at the former canal works building at Manner Sutton Street when he fell nearly eight metres and died as a result.

At the sentencing hearing on the 19th May, Preston Crown Court heard that Mr Bahmanis was carrying out refurbishment work involving installing metal brackets for new roof joists when the incident happened on the 29th January 2012. While he was working alone he fell from the wall, due to a lack of safety measures being in place.

Mohammed Shafi Karbhari, the owner of the mill represented by Adrian Farrow, was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment suspended for 2 years and ordered to pay £20,000 towards prosecution costs for breach of regulation 9 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007

Tameem Shafi who was in charge of the project, was sent to prison for 45 weeks for two breaches of regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height regulations 2005.

Umar Shafi, who was in charge of the work on the day, was sentenced to 120 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £3,900 towards prosecution costs for two breaches of regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

All three men had pleaded guilty to the charges at an earlier hearing.