Punishment for landlord who illegally evicted tenant

A landlord who pleaded guilty to unlawfully evicting her tenant has been sentenced to 80 hours of unpaid community work and ordered to pay the tenant £460.

Rukhsana Tariq, 38, pleaded guilty to unlawfully evicting her tenant Hakeem Shittu from his room in Oxford.

She dumped Mr Shittu’s belongings outside the property last April and changed the lock. Following his eviction, Mr Shittu slept rough on several occasions.

Tariq was also ordered to pay £1,162.50 in costs.

Cllr Ed Turner, deputy leader of Oxford City Council, said: “There is a clear legal process for landlords who want to evict their tenants, and the courts have backed up our policy of taking tough enforcement action against those who illegally take tenants’ homes from them.”