Belfast sole trader prosecuted by SIA for providing false information

The case was brought by the SIA after its criminal investigation team carried out checks at Belfast’s Voodoo on Friday 2 August 2019.

A man who was on duty as a door supervisor at Voodoo informed an SIA investigator that he had been working at the venue for about a year and that he had been deployed there by Tomas Tolan’s operation, namely Fianna Security Consultants.

The SIA asked Tolan to provide information, including details about his company structure, contracts and the number of employees. On 7 October 2019, when Tolan replied to the SIA, he confirmed the name of his company to be Fianna Security Consultants, but he failed to provide information about the company, payroll details, evidence of signing-in sheets or similar records, and also withheld his bank account details.

Interviewed under caution

On 28 November 2019, the SIA interviewed Tolan under caution about his refusal to supply key information and the inaccuracies concerning his deployment of a man at Voodoo. Tolan’s failure to provide accurate information led to his prosecution by the SIA.

The SIA’s investigation revealed that Tolan was, in fact, a sole trader and did not own a company.

Mark Chapman, the SIA’s criminal investigation manager, said: “The primary purpose of the licensing regime is to protect the public. Tolan provided inaccurate information to the SIA when we questioned him about his business dealings. This is unacceptable from a licensed person who is required to follow particular standards of conduct.”

Chapman added: “The defendant provided services to a high-profile Belfast venue at the height of the holiday season and his actions, about which he was evasive in his response to questions, had potentially put the public at risk. Tolan was prosecuted, pleaded guilty and now has a criminal record.”