Hussain was fined £200 and required to pay £280 prosecution costs plus a £34 victim surcharge.
The prosecution was brought by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) following a routine inspection by SIA investigators and West Midlands Police licensing officers of venues in Dudley on 12 November 2021. The investigation revealed several cases of offending resulting in the successful prosecutions of Dean McKibben, Emma Spittle and Jason Cooper. SIA investigators also found Imraz Hussain working without displaying an SIA licence. He promptly left the bar, saying that he was going to collect his licence. However, he failed to return. The venue's signing-in book showed a licence number against Imraz Hussain's name, but the licence belonged to another person who lived 120 miles away.
SIA investigators found that Hussain had never held an SIA licence. He had previously worked illegally at the venue on 10 occasions. He failed to attend Dudley Magistrates' Court on 22 June 2022. The court subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest. Hussain was picked up and held in custody on Tuesday, 06 December until his appearance at Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
Nicola Bolton, one of the SIA's Criminal Investigation Managers, said:
Imraz Hussain worked illegally at least 10 times at the bar. He was unqualified and unsuitable to hold an SIA licence due to prior convictions. Despite this he chose to work dishonestly in a position of trust. His actions undermined both the licensing regime and the safety of people who were on a night out at the bar. He tried to avoid SIA investigators and an earlier court appearance and ended up in custody. He has now added to his criminal record.
Notes:
- By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence
- Read about SIA enforcement and penalties
- The offence relating to the Private Security Industry Act (2001) that is mentioned above is: section 3 - working without a licence
