A landlord who threw a tenant out on the streets because he could not instantly pay rent arrears was jailed for nine months.
Private landlord Jay Allen and a friend bullied shop assistant Chris Blades and evicted him without even a pair of shoes to wear after a row about £900 of rent arrears.
Sheffield Crown Court heard that Allen’s friend Razwan Mohammed, 32, pushed Mr Blades, 28, out of the door after Allen, 30, of Sheffield hear Mr Blades could not pay the rent arrears.
Both men were charged with unlawfully evicting Mr Blades from his rented home in Handsworth Road, Sheffield – one of seven buy to let homes from which Allen earns £2,000 a month in rents. No attempt was made to follow the legal eviction process.
Cleared of murder charge
The court heard that Allen was cleared of conspiracy to murder Safrajur Jahangir, 23, who was found shot in his car in Sheffield in August 2009.
The nine-week trial was stopped after defence lawyers complained potentially vital evidence had been withheld.
Judge Roger Keen QC heard Mr Blades told Allen, who also has convictions for assault and affray, that he was breaking the law, he replied: “Do I look like I care?”
Allen and Mohammed denied the charge but were found guilty by the jury.
Mohammed , of Orgreave, was jailed for six months, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to wear a tag every day between 7pm to 6am.
Dominate and frighten
“You decided that because the rent had not been paid you were going to evict the tenant unless he came up with the money immediately, which was impossible,” said the judge.
“Using your considerable presence, together with that of your co-accused, you went to dominate, frighten and overwhelm Mr Blades.”
Shop assistant Mr Blades said he was happy with the sentence.
