Lincoln landlord pushed council officer down stairs

A Lincoln landlord who pushed a council officer down stairs during a property inspection last summer has been fined over £1,600.

As the officer fell down the stairs of the property on Union Road in Lincoln, his elbow collided with the wall which left him with grazes and bruising. He also sustained abdominal bruising in the incident in July 2018, which required a hospital check-up.

Brian Goodwin, of Thealby Gardens in Doncaster, obstructed two City of Lincoln Council private housing officers from carrying out their legal duty to determine whether his property was safe to licence by the council as a House in Multiple Occupation.

During the inspection, he told both officers to get out of the property immediately. He then assaulted one of them which prevented them from continuing their inspection. It also left them physically shaken.

Goodwin seized one of the officers from behind in a ‘bear hug’ without warning. He attempted to physically remove him from the property by lifting his feet from the ground and forcefully pushing/heaving him down the stairs.

City of Lincoln Council prosecuted the landlord as agents for the Crown Prosecution Service following a police investigation into the assault and battery. Goodwin was previously given due notice of the inspection and had agreed to it taking place.

The council also brought charges of obstruction against the landlord for preventing the inspection from being completed without any reasonable excuse.

After a trial on June 6, he was found guilty of both charges. He was also ordered to pay £50 in compensation to the officer he had assaulted.

Environmental Health & Corporate Safety Manager at City of Lincoln Council, Sara Boothright, said: “We are pleased with the magistrates’ verdict and happy that justice has been served.

“Under the circumstances, it was the right and proper outcome. The landlord’s behaviour was completely unacceptable and these prosecutions send out a strong message that we do not tolerate this kind of behaviour against our staff.

“The bench increased the fine because Mr Goodwin’s actions were directed at representatives of the council who were in the course of carrying out their duties. The prosecutions highlight the importance of treating our staff with respect and letting them carry out our safety inspections.”