SIA prosecutes brothers

Ryan Owen had been the Director of Owens Security Solutions Ltd. When his licence was suspended in June 2017 by us, he appointed his brother Kyle as director in order for the company to continue trading but he did not remove himself as a director and despite his suspension continued to work in licensable roles.

At the trial on Thursday, Kyle Owen was found guilty for supplying his brother Ryan Owen to a venue as an unlicensed security guard. Ryan Owen was found guilty of supplying himself as an unlicensed security guard while he was the director of the company.

Ryan Owen, was fined £800 and required to pay a victim surcharge of £40 and court costs of £2,500 as he supplied non-licensed personnel to venues on the Wirral. He also continued to work in a licensable role, despite his licence being suspended.

His brother, Kyle Owen, was fined £400 and is required to pay a victim surcharge of £40 plus court costs of £1,000. He took over as director of the company in June 2017 following the suspension of Ryan Owen’s licence. Kyle Owen then also supplied non-licensed security operatives, including his brother Ryan, to venues in the Wirral.

Earlier in July 2018 both men plead guilty at Wirral Magistrates’ Court for failing to supply information to us when requested (a contravention of section 19 of the act) and for not informing us of their change of addresses (an offence relating to the conditions of their licence). 

Commenting on the case our Criminal Investigations Manager, Pete Easterbrook, said that suspension means suspension. 

"An SIA licence suspension is designed to remove individuals from licensable positions until there is certainty about whether that person is fit to continue as a licence holder, or not. The suspension is there to protect the public, it cannot be circumnavigated.”

He said: “In this case, the Owen brothers embarked on a course of action which placed the public at risk. To compound matters, they then failed to co-operate with us as the regulator and respond to requests for information in all likelihood to mask their activity.

"I am pleased that the court recognises the significance of the suspension of our licence and the severity of the Owen brothers’ actions by ignoring the suspension."