Malton Jockey Deaths: Landlord Sentenced
A few years ago, a tragic fire in a block of flats in Malton claimed the lives of two horse jockeys. The caretaker, from Brotherton, North Yorkshire, ignited the fire in a drunken act of revenge after being denied entry to a party, as revealed during his trial at Leeds Crown Court in December 2010.
The caretaker set fire to rubbish that had been left in the communal entrance of the Tannery flats. The fire quickly spread, with the stairwell acting like a chimney, forcing many occupants to jump from the building or climb down drainpipes. Unfortunately, the two young jockeys were trapped on the top floor and could not escape.
The caretaker was convicted of manslaughter and subsequently sentenced to prison.
The landlord from Norton pleaded guilty to breaching four fire safety regulations and was jailed for 12 months . Evidence presented in court indicated that the landlord had stored combustible materials under the communal stairs of the flats and had failed to conduct a fire risk assessment.
Alarmingly, two years after the fire, he breached the same regulations at a different property.
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