Middlesbrough sunbed shop owner jailed after girl burned

The owner of a tanning salon where a teenager was badly burned on a sunbed has been jailed.

Ryan Sihra, from Middlesbrough, admitted failing to carry out statutory age and safety checks at the Abyss Tanning Studio on Linthorpe Road.

The 15-year-old girl suffered severe burns to her face, shoulder and legs that needed plastic surgery and left her with permanent scarring, Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard.

Sihra, 26, of Harrogate Crescent, was sentenced to 40 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £400 court charges, along with a £180 victim surcharge.

Warning: This story contains some graphic images

The court heard the 15-year-old had visited the tanning studio in June 2022, when she was allowed to use a sunbed for a second time in two days with no checks carried out.

She was given a 14-minute session and fainted after just eight minutes, lying against the tubes of the tanning bed which were insufficiently protected.

An investigation was launched, which found no emergency cord was in place for use by customers.

In a victim impact statement read to court, the teenager described how the ordeal had made her feel suicidal and suffer from anxiety.

She said: “When I came out of the sunbed, I knew by my younger sister’s face that I was going to need to go to hospital for treatment, but I could not know that the treatment would last three years and it is still not complete.

“During this time I felt like a monster.

“I must live with this scar for the rest of my life and the toll it has taken on me can’t even be articulated.”

Thomas Durance, prosecuting, told the court there had been countless occasions where the defendant was warned about the safety of some of the sunbeds.

He said: “The defendant was told that they were dangerous and should not be used.

“It is probably some sort of miracle that nobody else has been hurt.”

Nick Woodhouse, mitigating, explained that Sihra fully accepted responsibility for the incident and felt a lot of remorse.

The teenager’s mother added: “We are grateful for the hard work that has been done by the Environmental Health and Trading Standards teams and that the trader has finally accepted responsibility.

“It goes some way towards her recovery.”

Katherine Evans, chair of the magistrates, summarised the case stating that the defendant had “breached and disregarded” health and safety law.

She said: “We acknowledge that you accept responsibility for the offences and your previous good character.

“We read your letter and we are able to see the remorse you feel.”