Unregistered gas installer left house like 'ticking timebomb' in case likened to Daniel O'Donnell ad

Petros Tsiogas was terminated from the gas registration scheme after he failed to detect a gas leak on a property

Petros Tsiogas was given a four-month sentence, suspended for two years, on the condition that the tradesman not perform any gas installations unless he is registered. Photo: Tom Tuite

An unregistered gas installer who carried out work on nine houses in Dublin and Kildare despite being suspended, and left one like a "ticking time bomb", has been spared jail.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) prosecuted Petros Tsiogas, aged 63, on 23 charges connected to works he carried out from February 2023 to December 2024.

District Court president Judge Paul Kelly imposed a four-month sentence, suspended for two years, on the condition that the tradesman not perform any gas installations unless he is registered.

He also handed the plumber a €500 fine and ordered Tsiogas of Beechfield Meadows, Clonee, Dublin 15, to pay €750 in prosecution costs. The offence is punishable by maximum fines of €5,000 and up to six months' imprisonment per offence.

He described the prosecution as a Daniel O'Donnell-type case, referring to the Donegal singer's appearance in a TV public safety campaign highlighting the necessity of using only registered gas installers.

Judge Kelly said there were many cases before the courts involving dodgy electrical work, and public safety was the primary concern for the prosecuting authority.

He added that this case was many times worse because it involved gas, particularly the "exceptionally serious" instance where Tsiogas's work left a house in Celbridge like "a ticking time bomb".

Prosecuting solicitor, Shane Reynolds, said the offences involved carrying out gas work without being a registered installer, portraying himself as one, and providing false information.

'Sloppy'

CRU safety officer, Shane McMahon, said on November 28 last year, he received a call about gas not working at the house in Celbridge.

He said Tsiogas had replaced a boiler a day beforehand. His work was sloppy, and he was unable to perform and demonstrate his understanding of how to conduct checks and testing on the installation.

A Gas Networks Ireland first responder checked it and found a leak in a pipe.

Tsiogas claimed to be a registered gas installer, but a records check showed he had been "terminated" since 2021 and was no longer authorised. He still had a book of 50 gas certificates.

The plumber had registered with the gas scheme in 2009 but was suspended four years ago, before a disciplinary board reinstated him, subject to being under supervision.

But when he later failed to detect a gas leak on another property, he was terminated from the gas registration scheme.

The official told the judge that he believed this case featured the most significant number of unauthorised gas work offences to come before the courts.

Mitigation

Defence counsel, Eoin Heffernan, stressed his client's co-operation with CRU, lack of prior convictions and his early guilty plea.

In a mitigation plea, the defence stated that the accused fully understood the severity of the charges and his actions and was prepared to face the consequences.

He had developed health problems leading to a downturn in his business around the time he lost his registration with the authority.

Mr Heffernan said Tsiogas now works at a reduced level in plumbing due to health issues and stress from the prosecution. 

The barrister pleaded with the court not to jail Tsiogas and to be lenient on his client, who has ceased working and currently has no earnings. He has stopped working and is considering early retirement.

In sentencing, the judge noted the mitigating factors and that several charges arose from individual work locations, and the court was dealing with nine separate incidents.