An Oxford landlord has been jailed for three months for unlawfully evicting a tenant from his rental property. Mr Kenston McIntosh pleaded guilty to unlawful eviction during a hearing at Oxford Crown Court.

The court heard that the landlord had accepted that he had evicted his tenant, Mr Michael Hutchinson, without a court order but he maintained that he had provided accommodation to the tenant as an act of charity. Hutchinson had been living at the property in Balfour Road since 2006, but a dispute arose when the tenant applied for housing benefit and McIntosh then asked him to vacate the property. Following the eviction in March, Hutchinson apparently had to sleep in an abandoned car

McIntosh was arrested at Gatwick Airport on 2 October 2010 after failing to attend an earlier court hearing while on unconditional bail. Having been held in custody at Crawley Police Station over a weekend he was then transferred to Oxford Magistrates Court and then released on conditional bail to attend the hearing on Friday 29 October at Oxford Crown Court.

Councillor Joe McManners, Board Member for Housing, said: “There is a clear legal process for landlords to follow should they wish to evict a tenant. Mr McIntosh failed to follow that process in this case and has paid the price.

“The Court has sent out a strong message that it is simply not acceptable to evict a tenant without a court order.”