Salon owners prosecuted for illegal trading

A Hounslow salon-owner has had their case dismissed at Isleworth Crown Court after appealing a ruling of Ealing Magistrates Court in July 2018.

Published: Friday, 11th January 2019

The defendant, Ms Lilly Morris was charged under the London Local Authorities Act 1991, Section 14 (1) for trading without a Special Treatment Licence (STL) at Magic Touch Tattoo Piercing Studio and Yankee Hair Studio at 109 High Street, Hounslow, TW3 1QT.

The premises, owned by Ms Lilly Morris and her husband, Mr Abbey Love Aslim, the previous licence holder, had its licence revoked after two convictions for; piercing a minor without parental consent, not keeping proper client records, not registering a therapist and not having a clinical waste contract in place for the used needles.

Ms Morris then applied to be the licence holder at the premises and during the consultation period of 28 days, a Test Purchase (TP) was attempted for a manicure treatment which was administered unlawfully as the premises was not licensed. Ms Morris’s application for a Special Trading Licence was refused as a consequence. Miss Morris then appealed this decision, which went to a Licensing Panel hearing, where councillors agreed that Ms Morris was not a ‘fit and proper person’ as defined by the act and so was not granted a special treatment licence.

This decision was again appealed by Ms Morris, which went to Ealing Magistrates Court on 12 July. The District Judge dismissed the appeal. A further appeal was made by Ms Morris to Isleworth Crown Court against her conviction and again her appeal was dismissed on 18 December 2018. In total Ms Morris has been ordered to pay; a fine of £240, £2,400 costs and £30 to the victim services fund.

Councillor Katherine Dunne, Lead Member for Communities and Workforce at Hounslow Council said:

“From the initial convictions relating to Ms Morris’s husband, Mr Abbey Love Aslim, prosecutions and appeals relating to the premises in question span three to four years. The multiple appeals at each stage have taken up a lot of officers’ time and ultimately resulted in the defendant’s costs being substantially increased.

“We hope that this case sends a very clear message to our communities that the council is committed to supporting well run businesses which abide by the terms and conditions of their special treatment licences. We will uphold licensing enforcement at all times and will not tolerate any breaches.”

If you have concerns about any trader you suspect may be trading without a licence, please get in touch: HealthandSafety@hounslow.gov.uk