Owner of cockroach-infested restaurant given ban in court

Jamal Majed oversaw Baban Restaurant and Takeaway in Manchester Road, which was shut by a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order in April after the discovery of one of the worst pest infestations Swindon Borough Council's environmental health officers had ever seen.

He later claimed someone had planted the cockroaches at the restaurant and that his business should have stayed open because 'in some countries, they eat cockroaches'.

Cockroaches discovered by SBC environmental health officers (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

The pizza and kebab shop reopened after the infestation was under control, but kept its zero-out-of-five food hygiene rating in a September inspection and received three Hygiene Improvement Notices.

These included putting a food safety management system in place, and ensuring all staff were supervised and had successfully completed food hygiene training along with the person responsible for the food safety management system.

But, after failing to make any of those changes, Majed faced another court hearing.

Baban Takeaway on Manchester Road (Image: Dave Cox)

On Friday, he pleaded guilty to five offences under Regulation 19 of the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and could face jail after magistrates referred the case to Swindon Crown Court for sentencing.

Prosecuting solicitor Daryl Bigwood represented the council in this case, telling magistrates that Majed was served the notices on May 20 and had to comply with them by 27 June.

But when the local authority's environmental health team visited the takeaway on June 28, he had not done so.

When interviewed under caution on August 18, the takeaway owner said he would comply with the notices in “two weeks, three weeks, by next month” and would then contact the council.

Then a month passed and no contact was made, and neither were any reasons given for not complying with the notices.

This infestation led to the restaurant being closed for weeks (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

When interviewed under caution, Majed said he understood that maintaining hygiene was the main role of a food business operator but that the restaurant should not have been closed because of the cockroach infestation as in some countries, they eat cockroaches.

He went on to allege that someone had planted the cockroaches at the restaurant and that he had known about the infestation four days before the environmental health team visited the premises but had still continued to trade.

This infestation is not the first time he had been punished for food hygiene issues.

On June 2013, under an alias of Jamil Rashid Safar, he was convicted of 16 offences contrary to the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 and fined £6,800 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000.

Mr Majed is also a director of the company that owns and runs MJ Kebab & Pizza in Cavendish Square, which recently received a zero food hygiene rating.

He also owns MJ Kebab and Pizza, which has a similar low food hygiene rating (Image: Dave Cox)

Magistrates issued a Hygiene Prohibition Order which prevents him from managing any food business. He will next appear at Swindon Crown Court on December 16.

Councillor Cathy Martyn, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet member for public safety, said: “This business owner showed a complete disregard for his customers by continuing to ignore the Hygiene Improvement Notices following the shocking cockroach infestation that was discovered at his premises earlier this year.

“Food hygiene regulations are in place to protect people’s health and I am pleased the magistrates approved our application for the hygiene prohibition order.

“I would like to thank our officers for all their hard work in bringing forward this prosecution and ensuring that members of the public are no longer being put at risk by visiting an establishment run by this individual.

“This prosecution demonstrates that we will take whatever action is necessary if we believe the health of local residents is put in danger.”