By Ashley Young-
A gym owner in Bradford that breached lockdown restrictions has had a big fine of £10,000 reduced to £666 for each of the 11 offences , to just over £7k
He also has to pay a £190 victim surcharge and costs of £3,000. The Council had sought to recover £4,221 in costs. The reduction was made after he pleaded guilty to the offences.
Following several complaints that Lifestyles Gym at Kyme Mills, off Leeds Road, was breaching Covid restrictions, at one point having 20 people inside when it should have been closed.
Environmental health officers were blocked from entering on one occasion. The owner Tahier Hussain Shah, was fined £10,516 by Bradford Magistrates, after pleading guilty to eight breaches of Covid-19 legislation and three charges of obstruction.
Several complaints against the gym owner were made, leading to a legal prohibition notice for the gym to close . Complaints and recorded breaches both during the initial lockdown period, which started in March, and when new restrictions were brought into place on July 31.
Bradford Council said the prosecution: “Follows a significant number of complaints from the public from March and a number of visits from environmental health officers to check that the premises were adhering to the legislation.
“On certain occasions, the officer carrying out the inspection was obstructed from carrying out their visit.”
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Environmental health officers recorded members of the public were using the gym during inspections to check if the facility was closed on several occasions, with over twenty people recorded as being in the premises during more than one inspection.
Magistrate Benedetto Paolozzi, in the chair for the hearing, stated that Shah showed “blatant disregard” for public health and the health of the community. He also advised that he would receive a financial penalty due to the breaches and that he had received a Covid-19 business grant.
The offences took place during periods where indoor gyms were required to close due to the risk of spreading the virus
He was given a reduction in fines for pleading guilty, and was fined £666 for each of the 11 offences.
He also has to pay a £190 victim surcharge and costs of £3,000. The Council had sought to recover £4,221 in costs.
The reduction makes none sense of the fine, and means all infringers of the law need to do to escape full punishment is plead guilty. What a sham!