Three men sentenced for £318k chicken fraud

More than 80 deliveries of chicken were sent from the 2 Sisters Food Group in Anglesey but records were destroyed, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Three men who worked together to fraudulently supply a company with more than £318,000 worth of chicken have been sentenced.

Darren Williams, 68, and Elliot Smith, 33, worked at the 2 Sisters Food Group in Llangfefni, Anglesey, and supplied the meat to Townsend Poultry.

More than 80 deliveries were made but the firm was not a customer of the 2 Sisters company and there were no records of the deliveries as Williams and Smith destroyed them, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The pair both pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and were each given a two-year suspended sentence at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday.

The owner of Townsend Poultry, Rana Dhalia, of Ambergate Road, Wolverhampton, had pleaded not guilty to acquiring criminal property.

But the 58-year-old was convicted after a trial in October and was jailed for four years and three months.

'Strong deterrent'

The fraud came to light during an audit of the 2 Sisters Food Group and forged handwritten dispatch notes were found, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said.

The firm fully cooperated with the investigation, they added.

Williams, of Llanerchymedd, also pleaded guilty to a charge of conceal/disguise/convert/transfer/remove criminal property.

He was ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work while Smith, of Holyhead, was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.

Townsend Poultry, based on Harry Weston Road, Coventry, went into voluntary liquidation in January, according to the government's Companies House website.

Crown Advocate Emmalyne Downing, from the CPS, said the trio took advantage of their positions to defraud 2 Sisters Food Group.

Andrew Quinn, from the FSA’s National Food Crime Unit, said the stolen chicken could have raised safety issues over tracing the meat through the food system.

"We welcome these sentences, as this sends a strong deterrent message to those considering committing food crimes," he added.