Landlord trying to charge for previous tenant's bills

I have a student who just moved into a new flat on 27 April.  Recently, he received an electricity bill for over £500.  The bill is in his name, but it purports to be for the period of 16 to 27 April, so before he even moved in, and the bulk of it (all but £25) is a previous balance.  His landlord has told him that because he didn't check the meter when he moved in (which no one told him to do) then the bill is his responsibility and he must pay all of it.  I told him his landlord is talking b*ll*cks, and that he has no obligation to pay any of the bill.  However, I'm wondering about how he should handle the situation.  Can the electric company shut off his power if he doesn't pay the bill?  What recourse does he have against the landlord?  I'm certain that the landlord is just trying to take advantage of a "stupid foreigner," and this guy is Saudi and not exactly hurting for cash, which would just make him more of a target.  I told him to contact the CAB, but will this be enough?  Can the landlord make trouble for him if he refuses to pay?  What would you recommend as his best course of action?  His English is roughly intermediate level, so good enough to explain his position but he could easily get lost in a lot of complicated language and legalese. 

TIA! 

I would suggest that, if possible, he takes a LOT of notes any time he speaks with anyone (landlord included) if possible, he should get all the information he can in writing. This would help with any shenanigans and serve as a reference if he needs to contact different agencies  (or CAB and power company etc).

We had a similar situation when we moved in, but I think we checked the meter.  Dh called the company and told them we didn't sign a contract for this house until November 1.  I think we had to provide our notice to quit our other tenancy but the power company went back and renegotiated the bill.  I think we had to call them a few more times and stay on it, but it eventually worked out.  

We called the electric company, who shoved a bailiff's note through our door two days after we moved in, and they just had us fax our rental agreement.  We never heard from them again. 

Yeah, just send over the rental agreement and, if the guy knows it, the name of the previous tenant.

The landlord has no enforcement over whether this guy pays the bill or not.  He needs to contact the electric company directly and explain the situation.  They are very familiar with this scenario and should amend the bill straight away.  The LL is just being a jerk...advice would be for the student to have bills come straight to himself - LLs don't need to be involved at all!