A Wicklow man has been jailed for six months for undertaking dangerous and illegal electrical works.
The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) successfully secured the prosecution against the man for illegally carrying out restricted electrical works and portraying himself as a registered electrical contractor.
The case was heard in Naas District Court under Judge Zaidan, who imposed the six-month custodial sentence.
The sentence included three months for carrying out of the electrical work while unregistered, and three months for portraying himself as a registered contractor.
The CER says the works undertaken involved an attic conversion of a home into a bedroom.
During the CER's investigation, it established that the electrical works carried out were "wholly unsafe" and constituted "a real danger to the occupants of the house".
At the time, the man was not a registered electrical contractor with the safety supervisory body, and therefore committed an offence under the Electricity Regulation Act 1999.
The CER's Commissioner for Energy Safety, Dr Paul McGowan, said: "The fact that the court felt a custodial sentence was required reflects the seriousness of this case and the clear danger to human life it represented. This sends a clear message to anybody engaging an individual or company to carry out electrical work in a house that they must be suitably qualified and a registered electrical contractor".
"The CER is committed to using its resources to investigate and prosecute unregistered individuals who carry out restricted electrical works or portray themselves as Registered Electrical Contractors. Registration is required to protect the safety of the public", he added.
