CARDIFF, Wales, (CelebrityAccess) — The director of a security vendor is facing a stint in prison after he was convicted of supplying security guards with falsified licenses to a number of music events, including Glastonbury and the Download Festival.
An investigation by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) found that LSA Armour director Lee Szuchnik had invited licensed security officers for interviews and kept their license information on file.
He then provided information from the genuine licenses to unlicensed employees to allow them to work as security at events. Affected concerts included the Download Festival, Glastonbury, the 2000 Trees Festival, the Cornbury Festival, and two concerts by Adele at Wembley Stadium in London.
Szuchnik is facing 2 years and 3 months in prison for his part in the scheme. His fellow director Erica Lloyd was sentenced to a twelve-month term but the sentence was suspended for 18 months.
As well, 4 guards – Daniel Foukes, Dylan Yorath, Ross Harris, and Lewis Potte- who had illegally worked at the events in June and July of 2017 were also sentenced for their role in the fraud.
According to the SIA, the scheme was discovered in July 2017 by an SIA regional investigator who was checking licenses at the 2000 Trees Festival in Cheltenham and spotted two security guards employed by LSA Armour who were using falsified licenses. The investigator then stopped two other guards with falsified licenses from fleeing the festival site.
Nathan Salmon, criminal investigations manager at the SIA, said: “This fraud put untrained and un-vetted security staff in a position of responsibility at numerous festivals.
“This put event organisers, suppliers, and members of the public at an increased security risk.
“People going to events and festivals must be able to have confidence in the fact that the security personnel put there to protect them are legitimately licensed.
“An effective security industry that ensures public safety is a priority for the SIA. We will act robustly in driving dishonest operators out of the industry.”
