Two men have been jailed for their roles in a conspiracy to sell meat unfit for human consumption after investigators discovered an illegal cutting room in south London.
Anthony Fear, 63, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison and banned from being a company director for six years after diverting animal by-products from his Somerset business into the food chain. He was found guilty following a 12-week trial at Inner London Crown Court.
Azar Irshad, 40, who ran a cutting shop in Walworth, south-east London, was sentenced to 35 months’ imprisonment and banned from selling or preparing food until further notice. He admitted his role in the conspiracy and other regulatory breaches.
The court heard that meat collected by Fear’s company, Fears Animal Products Limited, should have been destroyed or sent to pet food manufacturers. Instead, it was delivered to Irshad’s premises in London, where it was prepared and sold for human consumption.
Residents first raised the alarm in 2020, complaining of the stench of rotting meat near a shop on Walworth Road. Trading Standards officers discovered containers of decomposing meat outside in the heat. A linked premises in East Street housed a hidden cutting room where tainted poultry was being skinned, washed and portioned for sale.
Investigators traced 1.9 tonnes of animal by-products back to Fear’s business. The haul included chickens, beef burgers and lambs’ testicles, all improperly stored.
Judge Noel Lucas KC described Fear as “a greedy man” motivated by “sheer greed” and “a gross dereliction of trust”. He added: “Save pure greed and arrogance to think you could get away with it, you had no motivation.”
Other individuals were also sentenced:
- Mark Hooper, 64, a manager at Fear’s company, received a two-year suspended sentence, 200 hours of unpaid work, and awaits a costs order.
- Ali Afzal admitted regulatory breaches and was given a suspended six-month sentence, 150 hours of unpaid work, and ordered to pay £5,000.
- Arshad Akhtar, linked to the Walworth premises, has since died.
Andrew Quinn, head of the National Food Crime Unit, said: “The case demonstrates the serious risk posed to consumer safety when individuals deliberately disregard food safety regulations by putting meat unfit for human consumption back into the food chain.”