A pair of unscrupulous landlords have been ordered to pay more than £90,000, following a fatal fire in a grossly overcrowded flat that they owned in east London.
Husband and wife landlords Sofina Begum, 52, and Aminur Rahman, 55, had previously pleaded guilty to nine housing offences.
Mizanur Rahman, 41, died at hospital following the blaze at Maddocks House on Cornwall Street, in Shadwell, in March 2023.
It is thought he was one of up to 22 people living in the overcrowded three-room flat.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court, Judge Emma Smith said both defendants showed “blatant disregard to the law and welfare of the occupants.”
She added that the defendants’ only concern was for their “own financial gain”.
An inquest earlier this year heard father-of-two Mizanur Rahman died from the effects of smoke inhalation during the fire.
The fire was started by a faulty lithium-ion e-bike battery that was charging
Gemma Gillett, for Tower Hamlets Council, who brought the case, told the court: “It is clear that the property was, and had been considerably for some time, grossly overcrowded.
“The information available suggests that some 23 people were in occupation of the flat.
“One of the occupants was taken to hospital and subsequently died.”
The landlord couple failed to allow regular inspections, did not have a current gas certificate, and did not produce the documents required of them as the controller or manager of the property, which has now been repossessed by the bank.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court, Sofina Begum was ordered to pay a confiscation order of £78,049. In addition, she was fined £10k and made to pay a £2k contribution towards the prosecution costs.
Amminur Rahman was also fined £2k. He also received a confiscation order of £40,275 but is only expected to pay £1.01.
Following sentencing, Nasmush Shahadat, a survivor of the fire, told the press: “We are pleased that the landlords who exploited us and kept us in an unsafe, dangerous flat are punished. Now we need justice.
“We lost property as a result of their negligence. We were traumatised by the fire. We lost a friend.
“We ask Tower Hamlets Council to explain what they will do with the money confiscated from the landlords. Will this be made available for us to secure justice?”
Daniel Cooper, solicitor for the victims, said: “On behalf of the victims who lived at the flat and survived the fire, we want to know what Tower Hamlets Council will be doing with the landlords’ funds and whether these will be made available to the victims who have suffered terribly.”
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: “Any fines imposed by the court are paid to the Treasury. Confiscation is entirely separate from the fine.
“Typically, confiscated funds are returned to the prosecuting authority, minus a 50% share paid to the Home Office and 12.5% paid to HM Courts and Tribunals Service. The funds paid to the council are then reinvested into further enforcement efforts.”
