Foul photos have emerged after a shop owner ignored hygiene rules and left his grocery store in such a disgusting condition he was given a jail term.
Mohammed Mohammed, 41, refused to comply with food hygiene regulations despite local authority officers finding a dead mouse, fly-infested raw meat and a cockroach infestation on the premises.
He was jailed for showing a "flagrant disregard for the law" and his business Al Abd Ltd was fined £20,000 due to the disgusting condition of his shop Abo Alabed in Cardiff.
Despite numerous warnings by Cardiff council environmental health officers, Mohammed continued to store raw meat and fish unhygienically and failed to deal with pests after mice, cockroaches, and flies were found near food preparation areas.
He also refused to bin products which were past their sell-by date, including a six-week-old salami and a bag of peanuts which were damp and mouldy, as WalesOnline reports.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard Mohammed was serving a 25-month jail sentence after selling illicit and counterfeit cigarettes from Abo Alabed and laundering thousands of pounds in accounts abroad.
Prosecutor Lee Reynolds said Mohammed was issued with improvement notices prior to being visited at the Clifton Street shop in Adamsdown by officers on September 26, 2019.
He said: "[The officers] initially discovered a dead mouse between shelve units and display platforms upon which food was being kept."
Officers were also unable to wash their hands properly as there were no soap or drying facilities in the premises.
Mr Reynolds added: "Numerous flies were noted in the raw meat preparation area and appeared to be lying on raw cuts of meat.
"This led to Mr Mohammed selecting a roll of disposable bags to swat the flies against the cuts of meat. When asked what items he used to clean the premises he produced a bottle of glass cleaner.
"Within the freezer raw fish and meat products were stored inappropriately with no packaging.
"Industrial freezer units were thick with ice and dirty with food debris and dirt. In the chiller raw meat was found directly stored on shelves without being stored in containers."
When officers measured the temperature of the meat and fish it was found to be between 11C and 13C – above the 8C requirement.
Among the items discovered past their sell-by dates, there were bottles of yoghurt four days past, a salami six weeks past, and a box of mouldy shelled peanuts.
When asked about this Mohammed insisted they were safe and proceeded to drink a bottle of the yoghurt.
They also found dry and dusty mouse droppings which were believed to be more than a year old.
Other issues observed at the shop included Mohammed preparing chicken without washing his hands before or afterwards; carrying on with food preparation after dealing with a drain; gaps and holes across the shop which provided entry for pests; fresh herbs and vegetables being stored next to raw meat; and waste accumulating inside and outside the store.
When the officers went to collect food which had been surrendered by Mohammed, an employee claimed he had thrown it in a wheelie bin outside.
But the food was discovered back inside the shop ready for resale.
Mr Reynolds said the officers returned on October 4, 2019 and found the bottles of yoghurt back on the shelf. Fish was also being stored on a wall next to a neighbouring property.
An inspection on November 13, 2019 revealed a significant number of requirements had been fulfilled. But when officers checked hygiene paperwork, they found future dates had already been filled out in advance.
In January 2020, officers found that fish and other products were again not being stored properly, with no packaging information, and further mouse droppings were discovered. And in August 2020 a cockroach infestation was discovered which led to the shop being closed.
Mr Reynolds said: "There were cockroaches floating on the surface of the toilet and when asked Mr Mohammed said he did not have issues with cockroaches. Officers went back inside the store and found a considerable infestation of cockroaches including on food racking.
"Cockroaches were scurrying around on food and drink packaging and flies were seen on the floor and meat chiller display and landing on raw meat itself.
"Mr Mohammed said the first time he saw cockroaches was the previous day but given the level of infestation officers thought they had been there for a considerably longer period."
After gaining authorisation to close the shop, the defendant's pest control contractor visited. He confirmed a 'full life cycle' of cockroaches was present, but he said his contact did not cover cockroach treatment.
Days later officers saw people attending the store and paying for items. When questioned Mohammed said he was only selling fruit and vegetables which were stored outside.
The court heard be became "irate" and said he "wasn't making any money, had a family to support, and rent to pay". He later apologised for the outburst.
Mohammed, of Clifton Street, later pleaded guilty to failing to comply with hygiene improvement notices and intentionally obstructing an officer.
The court heard the defendant had previous convictions for 10 offences under Food Hygiene Wales Regulations between December 19, 2017, and July 19, 2018, for which he received a £320 fine and an 18-month conditional discharge.
In mitigation Rebecca Griffiths said her client had been in custody and away from his young family for eight months and asked the court to pass a short sentence that would allow Mohammed to be eligible for release "as soon as possible".
She added: "Mr Mohammed has a lack of English which led to reduced understanding. In his mind he wasn't doing anything which was wrong and was complying with their requests.
"He did not have a deep understanding of his duty to be proactive and would respond to failings when they had been brought to his attention.
"His misunderstanding does not cross into a flagrant disregard for the law."
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke sentenced Mohammed to 13 months imprisonment to be served concurrently with his current term of imprisonment. Al Abd Ltd was fined £20,000.
