Council prosecution sees man handed suspended sentence over imported e-scooters

The trader's consignment – which included 600 children's scooters, 140 adult scooters, 180 e-scooters and 54 e-bikes - was first flagged at a port in Suffolk in November 2021 when an initial test revealed safety failings.

Despite being advised to return the goods to China, Sardar Rassa said the e-scooters, e-bikes and scooters were legally compliant.

The enforcement authorities released the consignment, which was subsequently moved to a storage facility in Islington, where Islington Council's Trading Standards ordered their immediate suspension until they could be shown to be safe. 

Testing commissioned by the London borough revealed serious safety issues, ranging from improper labelling to critical component failures.

This led to Trading Standards Officers seizing 243 e-scooters and scooters still in storage. It is not known what Rassa did with the remaining stock.

Rassa, from Islington, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 6 January 2025 after pleading guilty to 12 offences relating to product safety failings and suspension notice breaches.

The court handed him a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months.  

Cllr Angelo Weekes, Executive Member for Community Safety, said: "Unsafe e-scooters can pose a real danger, and we have zero tolerance for unsafe products in Islington. "We take tough action to protect our residents and ensure their safety. Thanks to the hard work of our Trading Standards and Legal Services teams, this importer has been held to account."

Adam Carey