In this article you can read about three recent prosecutions where the Courts imposed over £36,000 in fines and costs for misusing the title.
Record penalty of nearly £30,000 for illegally practising as an ‘architect’
On 23 January 2018 Mr Robi Miah of Luton, Bedfordshire was convicted on twelve counts of the criminal offence of misusing the title ‘Architect’. Luton Magistrates’ Court heard that Mr Miah practised under the name ‘Mia Architects’ despite not being registered with the Architects Registration Board. Mr Miah, who also practices under the name Rob Mia, had used a variety of sources to advertise the title, submitted a number of planning applications and continued to misuse the title while ignoring ARB’s numerous warnings. He had also stated that he was registered with ARB when he was not. Part of ARB’s evidence included previous assurances from Mr Miah that he would stop calling himself an architect. Luton Magistrates’ Court took the view that these were serious and aggravated breaches and, even taking into account Mr Miah’s guilty plea, imposed a fine of £23,700 with a further £5,825 in costs and surcharges making a total of £29,525.
Misuse of title on popular social networking site Linkedin
On 7 December 2017 Ms Sofia Kasapantoniou of Tower Hamlets, London was convicted on four counts of the criminal offence of misusing the title ‘Architect’. Thames Magistrates’ Court heard that Ms Kasapantoniou had used the title on her LinkedIn profile despite not being registered and continued to misuse the title while ignoring ARB’s numerous warnings. Part of ARB’s evidence against Ms Kasapantoniou included an email holding herself out to a new employer as being a registered architect and fabricating a registration number. Thames Magistrates Court took the view that these were serious breaches and, after taking into account Sofia Kasapantoniou’s guilty pleas, imposed a fine of £2,304 with a further £2,131 in costs and surcharges.
Individual prosecuted for persistent misuse of title on website and social media
At a separate hearing on 7 December 2017 at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court, Mr Eric Wessels of Planning and Projects Ltd in Waltham Forest, London pleaded guilty to using the title ‘architects’ on the practice’s website and on his LinkedIn profile despite being repeatedly told to remove the protected title by ARB. Taking into account the guilty plea and the defendant’s means, the Court sentenced him to a twelve month conditional discharge on each charge and made a costs order for the sum of £3,000.
If you are interested in reading more about ARB’s misuse of title prosecutions, please click here.
