Marcus Fielding, the builder of a planning permission-breaking Kettering six-storey apartment block, has been found guilty at Northampton Magistrates Court of six charges of breaching health and safety regulations.
Fielding, of Job’s Yard, Kettering, and sole director and employee of company Michigan Construction Ltd, was told by District Judge Amar Mehta to expect a sentence upwards of 18 months – and because of that he sent the case to Crown Court for sentencing.
The case brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regarded a block of flats in Job’s Yard, built by Fielding starting in 2018 that was described by structural engineer and expert witness David Smith as being like a ‘pack of cards’.
Judge Mehta said: “I accept the evidence of Mr Smith in its entirety. He’s an expert of 35 yeas. He comes to the conclusion that it is the building that is dangerous and could collapse at any time if there’s a load on it.”
After listening to number of expert witnesses from the construction industry and Kettering residents and neighbours, Judge Mehta found Fielding, and his company, failed to take steps to prevent danger to the public through the potential collapse of an unstable building and a potential structural collapse, and that he contravened a requirement imposed by a prohibition notice that forced him to take steps to ensure scaffolding was safe and it was prevented from collapsing.
Fielding will appear at Northampton Crown Court in August to be sentenced.