Blackpool hotel owner sentenced to 18 months after safety inspection
The owner of a hotel in Blackpool has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after the judge said he had shown a "callous disregard" for safety.
Peter Metcalf of the 90-bedroom Kimberley Hotel in Blackpool was sentenced to 18 months in jail for each of the 15 offences, to run concurrently, reported BBC News this morning.
He was accused of blocking exit routes, chaining shut emergency fire exits and keeping faulty wiring, according to a fire service inspection in March last year.
Metcalf denied all the charges, but was condemned by Mr Justice Russell QC as showing a "callous disregard for people's safety".
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said the conditions could have caused "serious injury or loss of life", and ordered the hotel to close pending investigation after the inspection in March.
