Jailed: Crooked businessman accused of paying £259K to a poultry factory worker for unauthorised deliveries of chicken

The judge, Recorder Benjamin Blakemore, said there was “utterly overwhelming” evidence and he had been motivated by greed.

The defendant had denied the charge and told his counsel Simon Mintz he had never knowingly bought stolen cut-price chicken from a man who introduced himself as a “broker.”

Dhaia owned Townsend Poultry in Wolverhampton.

Darren Williams, 46, of Llanerchymedd, Anglesey, a dispatch manager for 2 Sisters Food Group at Llangefni, and colleague Elliot Smith, 32, of Holyhead, both admitted fraud.

They each received two-year suspended jail terms.

Williams must do 300 hours unpaid work while Smith will have to carry out 250 hours unpaid work.

The judge said they had come “within a whisker” of immediate custody.

The charges spanned February 2019 to June 2021.

The fraud was discovered during an audit at the 2 Sisters Food Group, when it came to light that Williams and Smith were supplying Townsend Poultry with chicken. Townsend Poultry was not a customer of 2 Sisters Food Group and there were no records of any deliveries.

The Crown Prosecution Service said enquiries made with local hauliers used by the 2 Sisters Food Group confirmed there had been 84 deliveries from the 2 Sisters Food Group to Townsend Poultry, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Williams and Smith had destroyed the records of those deliveries.

Prosecutor Richard Edwards said Dhaia had transferred money to Williams.

Recorder Blakemore said: "There’s nothing to suggest the public was put at any risk. But had there been any difficulty, there would have been no way of tracing the product back to source.”

Mr Mintz said Dhaia had built a successful business employing ten workers. The company had now been dissolved.

“He worked hard to build the business and a life for his family in the West Midlands,” the barrister added.

Speaking following the case Emmalyne Downing, Crown Advocate said: “The three defendants took advantage of their position within the companies to defraud 2 Sisters Food Group. Fraud cases can be complex; the Crown Prosecution Service worked closely with the Economic Crime Unit at North Wales Police and the Food Standards Agency in Wales to build a strong case against the defendants. The evidence presented resulted in all three being convicted”.

Detective Constable David Hall of the North Wales Police Economic Crime Unit said: “We welcome today’s outcome which has seen the conviction of Williams, Smith and Dhaia following work with partners from the Food Standard Agency.

“The offences that took place not only cost the 2 Sisters Food group thousands of pounds, but also could have had far-reaching implications due to traceability issues if they had not been caught.

“I’d like to thank the CPS for their involvement in this investigation which has led to today’s result.”

Andrew Quinn, Head of the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU), said: "We welcome these custodial sentences, as this sends a strong deterrent message to those considering committing food crimes. I want to thank the CPS and North Wales police for their excellent work in securing these convictions. Together, we are stronger in the fight against food fraud and we continue to work with partners to help ensure that consumers are protected.

"Anyone with suspicions of food crime can report it safely and confidentially to the NFCU. You can report a food crime online or by freephone on 0800 028 1180. For non UK mobiles or calls from overseas please use 0207 276 8787.”