'Deplorably dirty' Bristol meat distributor walks free from court

Kamran Ajaib used underpants to clean his makeshift butchers

A meat distributor who made £2 million from his business supplying chicken to takeaways from a dirty backstreet processing plant has walked free from court.

Kamran Ajaib, 28, used Y-front underpants to clean his makeshift butchers, Hamza Poultry Limited in Bristol, which had just one “dirty” hand-wash basin.

The chicken was sold to 60 businesses, including takeaway restaurants, kebab shops and supermarkets in the city and as far afield as Swindon, Cardiff and Swansea.

But Ajaib's processing plant in Fishponds, Bristol, had none of the necessary food hygiene approvals or licences to work with meat.

Ajaib, from Bradford, later admitted eight charges of failing to comply with food hygiene regulations, between June 2010 and May 2011.

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.

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.

During proceedings, the judge was shown a series of photographs of the conditions council officials who raided Ajaib's premises in May 2011 were confronted with.

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 17 May.

They discovered a band saw with meat residue around it, toilets opening straight on to the only washing area and new pairs of underpants being used top clean with.

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.”

An image of conditions from inside the butchers (Bristol City Council)

Mr Macdonald said Ajaib was arrested and four tonnes of chicken and beef was seized from the premises and

The court heard the business later re-opened as a cold store and operated legally, but was shut in 2012 by Ajaib.

Robin Shellard, for Ajaib, said the chicken was a "bona fide product" because the chicken itself was sold from reputable suppliers, and said the product was then sold at market rate to regulated restaurants.

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, he added.

“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.

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.

“It is obvious from the photographs I had to look at that chicken was being processed in your factory in wholly unsanitary conditions,” the judge said.

“Anybody who looks at the photographs will be enormously dismayed by what they see. The premises are deplorably dirty, they are not fit for meat production, cutting or otherwise.

“The floors are filthy, there's no hot water. The opportunity for those working there to wash their hands or equipment was one very dirty sink unit.

“The public have a right to expect that those who deal with food in the way that you did are authorised and producing their food in a sanitary way.

“The dangers to public health by what you did are very evident.”

Speaking after the case, John Barrow, principal environmental health officer at Bristol City Council, said Ajaib supplied 60 sites across the country. He said: “The premises was absolutely disgusting and the risk of contamination from the chicken was really, really high.”

Additional reporting by Press Association