A WEST Oxfordshire landlord was fined for illegally evicting his tenant by changing the locks.

Jaroslaw Piotrowski unlawfully evicted Damien McClure from the property he rented to him at Fieldmere Close, Witney, on December 5, last year.

Piotrowski, 28, of Moor Avenue, Witney, changed the locks preventing Mr McClure getting into his home.

The landlord, who runs Witney Rooms Ltd, also failed to provide a key, despite numerous requests by West Oxfordshire District Council officers on Mr McClure’s behalf.

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The council prosecuted Piotrowski at Oxford Magistrates Court on Tuesday, November 11.

The landlord pleaded not guilty, but magistrates found him guilty of unlawfully depriving Mr McClure of his occupation of the premises. Piotrowski was fined £400, the maximum amount for this offence and ordered to pay £350 in compensation to Mr McClure.

West Oxfordshire district councillor David Harvey, cabinet member responsible for private sector housing, said: “This case sends out a clear message that the council, when its advice and guidance is ignored, will use its powers to prosecute landlords who disregard the law and that we will provide assistance to anyone living in private rented accommodation facing similar issues.”

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