A gas fitter who continued to work illegally for years after being struck off the Gas Safe Register has been sentenced at Glasgow Sheriff Court, according to reporting by The Glasgow Times.
Syed Hussain, 43, was removed from the register in April 2019 after failing to prove competency, but continued to carry out gas work across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Lanarkshire until early 2024. Despite repeated warnings from the Health and Safety Executive that he was prohibited from undertaking such work, Hussain pressed on, at one point even using another man’s Gas Safe identification to keep trading.
The court heard a series of examples illustrating the dangers posed by Hussain’s work. In Edinburgh, where he operated under aliases including “Tony” and “Mr Plumber” on Gumtree, a homeowner reported leaks and hired another engineer, who found seven defects in the gas supply and eight in the boiler.
In Glasgow’s Battlefield area, another inspector deemed a boiler installation “dangerous,” identifying six defects to the gas supply and 14 issues with the boiler after the homeowner was unable to reach Hussain following payment by bank transfer.
Five further incidents of unsafe or defective installations were detailed in court, with inspectors in several cases ruling Hussain’s work “immediately dangerous.”
Hussain pleaded guilty to multiple offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act, including culpably and recklessly installing unsafe boilers and pipework.
Sheriff Iain Fleming described his behaviour as “disgraceful” and said custody had been narrowly avoided only because Hussain had no previous convictions and was the main carer for his four children. He was sentenced to 250 hours of unpaid work and handed a 12-month electronic curfew.
Hussain’s defence said he accepted the seriousness of his actions and had faced personal and financial pressures after moving to Scotland, though he acknowledged these did not excuse the risks he created for the public.
Image credit: Stephen Sweeney / Glasgow Sheriff Court / CC BY-SA 2.0
