Butcher sentenced after using underpants to clean equipment
Published: 2013 October 30 12:35:31 (4692 Views)
The owner of a filthy backstreet butchers who used undrpants to clean the equipment has avoided jail.
Kamran Ajaib, 28, used Y-fronts to clean his Bristol-based chicken processing factory, which had just one "dirty" hand-wash basin.
The meat was sold to 60 businesses, including takeaway restaurants, kebab shops and supermarkets, as far afield as Swindon, Cardiff and Swansea.
But Ajaib's processing plant, Hamza Poultry Limited, had none of the necessary food hygiene approvals or licences to work with meat.
Environmental health officers from Bristol City Council raided the unmarked site on the Fishponds Trading Estate after a customer found metal wire in a piece of takeaway chicken.
Ajaib, a married father-of-two who lives in Bradford, later admitted eight charges of failing to comply with food hygiene regulations, between June 2010 and May 2011.
Co-defendant Hamza Poultry Limited, which is in the process of liquidation and of which Ajaib is the sole director and shareholder, pleaded guilty to the same eight charges.
Judge Michael Roach sentenced Ajaib to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, following a two-day hearing at Bristol Crown Court.
He also ordered Ajaib to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months.
During proceedings, the judge was shown a series of photographs of what confronted council officials who raided Ajaib's premises in May 2011.
The court heard the firm turned over £2,002,672 but Ajaib's available assets were now £51,703 and these must be paid back within six months.
An investigation was launched when a customer of Best Kebab in Bristol contacted authorities after finding a metal wire in a piece of chicken.
Council officials identified Hamza Poultry as the supplier of the meat and raided the site on May 17 that year.
They found a band saw with meat residue around it, toilets opening straight on to the only washing area and brand new pairs of underpants being used as cleaning clothes.
Iain Macdonald, prosecuting, said: "Photographs show cleaning cloths, which were in fact underpants.
"It transpired that the previous occupant of the premises had been a supplier of clothing.
"It appears these were items left at the premises and subsequently used for cleaning purposes."
Four tonnes of chicken and beef was seized from the premises and Ajaib was arrested, Mr Macdonald said.
The court heard the business later re-opened as a cold store and operated legally, but was closed in 2012 by Ajaib.
Robin Shellard, for Ajaib, said: "The chicken itself was sold from reputable suppliers, this was a bona fide product.
"The product itself was then sold at market rate to regulated restaurants."
He said publicity from previous hearings had a "devastating effect" on Ajaib and made him a "laughing stock" due to the y-front rags being used to clean the site.
"The underpants were all new, all clean and they were used as rags," Mr Shellard explained.
Mr Shellard said Ajaib had two children, aged four and two, and helped his wife who had "very poor" English.
Speaking after the case, John Barrow, principal environmental health officer at Bristol City Council, said Ajaib supplied 60 sites across the country.
"When we looked at his invoice books, we found distribution from Carmarthen in west Wales, right along the M4 corridor down to Newport, Monmouthshire, the Forest of Dean, Stroud, Gloucester, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Chippenham," Mr Barrow said.
"It was a huge area, a total of 60 businesses who were being supplied by this company. It was supplying over 20 tonnes of chicken a week.
"The premises was absolutely disgusting and the risk of contamination from the chicken was really, really high."
- Mirror
Kamran Ajaib, 28, used Y-fronts to clean his Bristol-based chicken processing factory, which had just one "dirty" hand-wash basin.
The meat was sold to 60 businesses, including takeaway restaurants, kebab shops and supermarkets, as far afield as Swindon, Cardiff and Swansea.
But Ajaib's processing plant, Hamza Poultry Limited, had none of the necessary food hygiene approvals or licences to work with meat.
Environmental health officers from Bristol City Council raided the unmarked site on the Fishponds Trading Estate after a customer found metal wire in a piece of takeaway chicken.
Ajaib, a married father-of-two who lives in Bradford, later admitted eight charges of failing to comply with food hygiene regulations, between June 2010 and May 2011.
Co-defendant Hamza Poultry Limited, which is in the process of liquidation and of which Ajaib is the sole director and shareholder, pleaded guilty to the same eight charges.
Judge Michael Roach sentenced Ajaib to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, following a two-day hearing at Bristol Crown Court.
He also ordered Ajaib to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months.
During proceedings, the judge was shown a series of photographs of what confronted council officials who raided Ajaib's premises in May 2011.
The court heard the firm turned over £2,002,672 but Ajaib's available assets were now £51,703 and these must be paid back within six months.
An investigation was launched when a customer of Best Kebab in Bristol contacted authorities after finding a metal wire in a piece of chicken.
Council officials identified Hamza Poultry as the supplier of the meat and raided the site on May 17 that year.
They found a band saw with meat residue around it, toilets opening straight on to the only washing area and brand new pairs of underpants being used as cleaning clothes.
Iain Macdonald, prosecuting, said: "Photographs show cleaning cloths, which were in fact underpants.
"It transpired that the previous occupant of the premises had been a supplier of clothing.
"It appears these were items left at the premises and subsequently used for cleaning purposes."
Four tonnes of chicken and beef was seized from the premises and Ajaib was arrested, Mr Macdonald said.
The court heard the business later re-opened as a cold store and operated legally, but was closed in 2012 by Ajaib.
Robin Shellard, for Ajaib, said: "The chicken itself was sold from reputable suppliers, this was a bona fide product.
"The product itself was then sold at market rate to regulated restaurants."
He said publicity from previous hearings had a "devastating effect" on Ajaib and made him a "laughing stock" due to the y-front rags being used to clean the site.
"The underpants were all new, all clean and they were used as rags," Mr Shellard explained.
Mr Shellard said Ajaib had two children, aged four and two, and helped his wife who had "very poor" English.
Speaking after the case, John Barrow, principal environmental health officer at Bristol City Council, said Ajaib supplied 60 sites across the country.
"When we looked at his invoice books, we found distribution from Carmarthen in west Wales, right along the M4 corridor down to Newport, Monmouthshire, the Forest of Dean, Stroud, Gloucester, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Chippenham," Mr Barrow said.
"It was a huge area, a total of 60 businesses who were being supplied by this company. It was supplying over 20 tonnes of chicken a week.
"The premises was absolutely disgusting and the risk of contamination from the chicken was really, really high."
- Mirror
0
You May Like These Videos
WATCH: Victims Narrate Ordeal After Being Clobbered By Riot Cops
FLASHBACK: Morgan Tsvangirai Won't Resign Despite Illness 
Police Violently Beat Harare Protesters 
Zimbabwean Man Who Was Shot By Tswana Employer Appeals For HelpComments
There are no comments.
Get Zim Metro Updates Alerts
Big Reads
Schoolgirl drops out after continuous 'sexual abuse' by teacher
by Staff Reporter | 2019 August 13 07:42:33
Mugabe Knows Nothing About The Zimbabwe Constitution: MP
by Staff Reporter | 2016 October 01 08:12:02
Zim's Protesting Graduates Risk Losing Degrees For Expressing Anger Against Mugabe
by Staff Reporter | 2016 October 01 07:57:08
Troubled Harare Giants Dynamos Falls Into Another Deep Crisis
by Own Correspondent | 2016 October 01 07:49:17
Grace Mugabe Grovels At Mnangagwa, Says I Did Not Ask Ubaba To Fire You
by Staff Reporter | 2016 October 01 07:31:48
Mugabe Attacks Mawarire, Claims The Exiled Pastor Failed To Divide Zimbabwe
by Staff Reporter | 2016 October 01 07:19:13
Shock As Local Bank Denies 'Rich' Mugabe's Son Heifty Credit
by Own Correspondent | 2016 September 30 19:14:54Trouble For Police Officers Who Have Been Mercilessly Bludgeoning Protesters
by Staff Reporter | 2016 October 01 07:20:19
Mugabe "Home Coming" And "Thank You" Rally On Cards
by Own Correspondent | 2016 September 23 06:48:24
Prof Moyo Was Dumped By Western Embassies, Claims Mutsvangwa
by Staff Reporter | 2016 September 22 10:08:07Broke RBZ Tracks Down Zimbabweans Living Outside The Country Over Taxi
by Staff Reporter | 2016 September 22 09:16:20
You Are Too Old To Lead, Aging Zim President Mugabe Told
by Own Correspondent | 2016 September 22 07:19:25
Anti-Corruption Commission Loses Property In Failed Probe
by Own Correspondent | 2016 September 20 03:18:19
.jpg)
SHOCKING:14 Year Old HIV-Positive Boy Rapes 7 Pupils
by Own Correspondent | 2016 September 20 00:04:55
