A 77-year-old man from Chester has been jailed for more than 14 months after repeatedly ignoring a legal order preventing him from inspecting inflatable play equipment.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Peter McCormack for carrying out inspections of inflatables and issuing test certificates for them in contravention of a Prohibition Notice from the HSE, and for carrying out unsafe seam repairs to one.
The court also heard that in these illegal inspections, Mr McCormack failed to spot defects, which could have caused injuries to children. He pleaded guilty to several breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was sentenced to 62 weeks in prison. He had already served 78 days imposed at an earlier hearing for breaching bail conditions.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE principal inspector Steve Flanagan said, "Inflatable play equipment must be properly maintained and inspected to make sure it is safe for children to use. The HSE served the initial Prohibition Notice in 2008 because Peter McCormack's work was substandard and unsafe. By breaching that Prohibition Notice repeatedly - and even ignoring a direct order from a judge at Shrewsbury Crown Court in 2010 - Mr McCormack has shown that he never had any intention to stop illegally inspecting inflatables. If people who carry out illicit or poor inspections of inflatables are not stopped, it's only a matter of time before a child suffers a serious injury."
Mr McCormack has changed his name by deed poll. He was previously known as Peter Coltilda, and before that as Peter John Morrell. The court also heard that Mr McCormack is also now known by the name Paul Armstrong.
