How judge wiped smile from tool thief's face

- Coming up on this week's news; an outcry from electricians has forced the courts to increase the sentence of a tool thief who rammed an electrical contractor with a van, a number of rogue traders have dodged prison this week following a spate of botched electrical work across the country, and sparks rush to set up renewable companies as the UK turns to green energy. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Scame.

Whether you're listening in the van, on site, or down at the wholesale counter, I'm Joe Robinson, and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And as always, if you think you've spotted the two words I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize.

At tool thief who laughed in court after viewing CCTV footage of him ramming a van into an electrician has had two years added to his sentence by a judge. The move follows an outcry from the trader, as 26-year-old Jordan Peacock was originally ordered to serve just four years and three months. At Derby Crown Court last November, Peacock admitted to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Peacock, his brother, and a friend also stole seven tool boxes worth 3000 pounds belonging to the self-employed electrician. But the Court of Appeal in London has declared that the original sentence was too lenient. It's now added a further two years. Solicitor General, Michael Tomlinson, said that Peacock's behavior could not be tolerated. The increased sentence better reflects the dreadful crime and its lasting impact on the victim.

The courts have also passed judgment on bodged electrical work this week. Bristol builder, Simon Robbins, was given an eight month jail term, suspended for two years, after carrying out electrical work that left customers homes unsafe. 44-year-old Robbins, who traded as SJ Robbins Construction, was accused of reckless workmanship which brought a catalog of misery to his customers. A Downend woman and an Easton couple were both left with unsafe electrical installations.

Prosecutor, Alan Fuller, said that Robbins breached the requirements of professional diligence. His defense lawyer, Catherine Flint, said that Robins had taken his eye off the ball in terms of his business. The judge also imposed a 10 year criminal behavior order. Meanwhile, another cowboy operator

who carried out botched electrical work in Chester has narrowly escaped prison. 33-year-old Jake Hughes of York was found guilty at Chester Crown Court of falsely advertising himself as a fully qualified electrician and a member of the NICEIC. Hughes traded under the name Smart Electrical Solutions. His work was so bad it often had to be completely removed and started again from scratch. He also harassed his customers for payment.

Lawrence McDonald said Hughes escaped a custodial sentence very narrowly. He was sentenced to 15 weeks in prison, suspended for two years. He must also carry out rehabilitation and unpaid work, observer a three month nightly curfew, and pay four and a half thousand pounds in compensation.

In other news this week, it appears that electricians across the UK have caught the entrepreneurial spirit. In the last few years, hundreds have set up firms specializing in green energy. Solar panel installation has been one of the hottest sectors, and new firms account for the majority of the 60,000 installations across the UK annually. Kevin McCann, policy manager of Solar Energy UK, says the market is flying and it's attracting a lot of startups.

Typical of the breed is Craig Michael, an electrician from Telford who has started a renewables business. He launched the firm last July and has already put over 1000 PV panels on customers' properties. In fact, despite being only six months in business, Michael has already taken on eight members of staff, including electricians, roofers, and project managers.

If you're tempted by the prospect of getting into renewables as a specialist, I've popped some links in the show notes to get you started.

Concerns have been raised this week about the state of the nation's electric vehicle charging points. According to recent data, a majority of public EV locations lack basic safety features, such as decent lighting and CCTV. Industry sources say this could be putting people off from switching to an EV, especially women. Around 87% of a sample of the UK's public charging locations have poor quality lighting. A staggering 77% don't have security cameras.

Now car sales platform, Heycar, is calling for action to improve the situation. It wants transport secretary, Mark Harper, to urgently introduce minimum personal safety standards at public charge points. Electrical contractors are also urged to tell customers installing EV chargers that adequate lighting and security cameras are an industry recommendation.

In product news this week, Cavius has introduced a range of smoke and heat detectors with smart features for electricians. First off, they're smaller and more discreet than most plastic detectors. You can also easily and wirelessly connect the detectors to each other by pushing a button on the master unit. There's also a special cover plate to cover up holes, and discoloration, and general ugliness from the previous large unit.

But best of all, the units can double as a ceiling rose for a pendant light. This option tidies up the ceiling and is compliant with the regs. Gordon has just done a deep dive into the Cavius range. I've popped a link to the video in the show notes, so check that out before you next install a smoke detector. As well as playing around with smoke detectors, Gordon has done something this week

that he hasn't been able to do for a decade. No, he hasn't been the first to get the round in at The Railway in Skipton, he's still working up to that. I'm sure our script writer is trying to make mine and Gordon's relationship go awry. There's another one of these coming up in a minute. Anyway, Gordon has in fact managed to talk to his Nest thermostat using Apple's voice assistant, Siri. Why is this significant?

Well, up to now, Google, Apple, Amazon, and Ring weren't on speaking terms, so to speak,

but now a clever little box called a Starling Home Hub unlocks the world of Nest. It means you can use the sensors in Nest products to your heart's content. For instance, you can tell your Nest detector to turn on lights or reduce the temperature of a smart radiator valve. Smart stuff, no? I've popped the link to the video in the show notes. Now, when was the last time you had a hot lunch?

The trouble with being an electrician is that we often have to make do with a cold sandwich and a packet of crisps in the van, ready salted if you're Gary, but how much do you dream of some homemade lasagna, shepherd's pie, or a jacket potato? Well, dream no more. Those brilliant people at Makita have just unveiled a cordless microwave oven. They believe it will revolutionize meals on building sites.

The no-frills oven has two power settings and runs off two of the company's standard 40-volt power tool batteries. It weighs around 10 kilograms, depending on what batteries you're using, and it comes with a carry strap so you can take it with you to any remote location. Needless to say, we put in a request for a sample, sharpish. Gordon's even planning to do the chickpea curry from a recipe he got in the back of "Saga Magazine."

Between you and me, his curry's not as good as Mastab's in Skipton, but you can't have everything. Yes, there's definitely something up with you and script writer Ray, Gordon. Sorry, but I'm just reading what he puts up. And finally, a reminder that you can win a Virgin Experience Day in our special competition

in association with Marshall-Tufflex. All you need to do is complete the dado trunking CPD training on the eFIXX website. You'll learn how to maintain IP ratings, what best practice with ring final circuits looks like, and how to maintain segregation of data and mains cables. As a bonus, as well as becoming a dado expert, you could be jumping out of a plane, driving a supercar, or my favorite this, enjoying cucumber sandwiches and cream teas in a five-star hotel.

I really am gonna have to have a word with Ray. He's clearly off on one this week with all this poppycock. Cucumber sandwiches. I'd clearly go for the cheese tasting for two, for one. The closing date for the competition is February the 28th. All the very best. Now, just before we get to your favorite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners,

we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up for all your circuit protection needs, they're like having an Italian star striker in your Premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli. And the safest thing to come out of Yorkshire since the invention of cats eyes, it's Doncaster Cables with their innovative and top quality cabling. Thanks again to you all. Your support means the world to us.

If you think you know the words I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments and we'll dig out a goodie bag prize to the first to get the right answers. Last week's words were spaghetti and hullabaloo, and proved surprisingly tricky for some to find, to the point that that little reference to Mr. Tickle particularly seemed to throw people off. But first passed the post last week was Doug Saunders who got both right.

So well done to you, Doug. Click the link in the show notes to claim your prize.

Releasing on our YouTube channel this week we've got the aforementioned Cavius smoke alarm video dropping, and hot on the heels of our ultimate guide to RCDs, where we found out what we didn't know about those devices, it's now time to find out what we don't know about MCBs. So keep your eyes peeled for that one.

And Gary's continuing his college connections tour when he drops in on Warrington & Royal Vale College visiting man in charge, Dave Love, on February the 14th, which I'm told is significant for some reason. Anyway, thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with Scame. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening, and until next time, have a great week.

Stay safe out there, and remember, there's no such thing as a torque-calibrated arm.