A Derby dodgy security director with total scorn for the law of the land has been ordered to pay more than £9,000 after being found guilty of working illegally as an unlicensed security director, and failing to provide information to the Security Industry Authority.
Vigilance authoritatively gathered that Louise Lowe, 29, who was the director of Fortis Security (UK) Limited, supplying door supervisors to bars and clubs in Derby city centre was working illegally as she did not hold the necessary SIA licence to supply operatives.
A spokesperson for the Security Industry Authority said in 2011, whilst investigators were looking into her husband Mark Lowe's activities, he ignored all requests for information and which led to the launching of an investigation.
It was told that after the long arm of the law had caught up with him, in January 2012, Mark Lowe pleaded guilty to security offences and was ordered to pay more than £14,000.
When last year, an application was made to Companies House to replace Mark Lowe with Louise as director of Fortis Security (UK) Limited, it was discovered she did not hold an SIA licence but the business continued to trade, thus breaking the law.
The SIA investigation revealed that between December 2011 and February 2012, Mrs Lowe deployed door supervisors to two venues disregarding the SIA’s requests for information.
However, at Derby Magistrates' Court yesterday [10 Oct], Mrs Lowe claimed that she did not know that she needed to hold an SIA licence and was further unaware of the investigation and prosecution of her husband.
After the Authority’s thorough investigation, which left no stone unturned, the court heard Lowe had previous criminal offences, which would have in the first place, barred her from holding an SIA licence until 2013.
But the Magistrate told her point blank: "ignorance of the law is no defence, you engaged in licensable conduct without a licence and the prosecution case is proved."
Thus, Lowe, of Collingham Gardens, Derby, was found guilty of two counts of engaging as an unlicensed director of Fortis Security (UK) Ltd and also found guilty of two counts of failing to provide information to the SIA. Lowe was fined £2,225, ordered to contribute £7,278 towards the prosecution costs and pay a £15 victim surcharge.
The Head of Investigation Nathan Salmon said: "We knew that in failing to provide information to the SIA, Louise was attempting to conceal information regarding Fortis Security (UK) Limited, its employees and the running of the business; identical offences to those faced by her husband Mark earlier this year.
Mr Salmon added: "Like her husband, Louise was working illegally by not holding an SIA licence. Together, Mr and Mrs Lowe have paid a significant financial penalty and precluded their future involvement in the private security industry.