Overview

• At Inner London Crown Court on 26 August, Anthony Fear was jailed for 42 months and disqualified as a company director for six years, while Azar Irshad received 35 months and was barred from involvement in any food business.
• Investigators launched the case in 2020 after Walworth residents reported a stench from a shop, leading officers to an unregistered East Street cutting room where workers were found processing tainted poultry.
• Trading Standards seized about 1.9 tonnes of animal by‑products, including whole and cut chickens, lambs’ testicles and beef burgers, which had been improperly stored and handled.
• The Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit traced the material to Fears Animal Products Limited in Bridgwater, which had been contracted to collect by‑products for pet‑food producer Saria, and the court heard Irshad made 16 trips to transport the meat to London.
• Mark Hooper received a two‑year sentence suspended for two years with unpaid work, Ali Afzal received a suspended term with community work and £5,000 in costs, and the court adjourned victims’ costs orders for later determination.