Santosh Benjamin-Muthiah
TURKISH company Beko, one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers, is facing a massive fine in the UK over 15 deaths allegedly caused by its products.
The white goods giant could face fines of over £300,000 if found guilty of the charges, which relate to deadly amounts of carbon monoxide said to be produced by some cookers.
The court action is being brought by Herfordshire Trading Standards, the body that represents consumers and businesses in the area where Beko’s UK headquarters are based.
HOUSE FIRE DEATH
It comes in a difficult week for the Turkish company, which has already been in the news this week after a coroner ruled a father of two died after a fire caused by a Beko fridge-freezer.
Santosh Benjamin-Muthiah, 36, died of severe smoke inhalation on 13 November 2010 as he rescued his two young daughters from the blaze at his home in northwest London.
He became overcome by the fumes shortly after passing his children through a window.
Investigators later discovered the fire started in the family’s Beko fridge-freezer, which was a model that had not been recalled despite being highlighted as a potential safety risk.
‘PUNISH FAILURE TO INFORM’
The coroner at Mr Benjamin-Muthiah’s inquest, Andrew Walker, called for tougher punishments for manufacturers who do not inform authorities of a fault.
Hertfordshire’s court action is over Beko’s failure to inform consumers of the risk posed by 23 models of cooker which can be converted to run on bottled gas.
Hertfordshire County Council confirmed Beko is due to appear at Watford Magistrates Court on 3 November.
Richard Smith, 30, and 32-year-old Kevin Branton died of carbon monoxide poisoning at their home in Cornwall in 2010, caused by a Beko cooker.
It followed the death of a man in County Cork, Ireland, caused by a Beko oven in 2008.
Last week the Sunday Times said 15 people had died as a result a model of oven that produced deadly amounts of carbon monoxide if used incorrectly with the grill door shut.
Kevin Branton’s mother, Denise Branton, told the newspaper: “I can understand one or two deaths might be accidental, but how can 15 deaths be accidental? It is unbelievable.
“It’s only when we started researching it that we realised there have been these other deaths, but no one seems to have linked them.”
69 SAFETY BREACHES
The company faces fines of £345,000 if found guilty of the alleged offences, which relate to 69 safety breaches.
Beko had not returned Londra Gazete’s calls for comment before it went to press.
It has told other news outlets that “at all times” it believed it acted “responsibly and appropriately”.
The company urged anyone with a pre-2007 model of fridge-freezer to visit the Beko website at refsafety.beko.co.uk.