Hanley restaurant manager fined £8k over food hygiene breaches
Yasir Hussain, from Ali Baba Restaurant in Hillchurch Street, Hanley, pleaded guilty to seven food hygiene charges at Newcastle Magistrates' Court yesterday.
The court heard how the 37-year-old, who had also managed eateries in Newcastle and Crewe, was prosecuted by Newcastle Borough Council last year.
Then, he was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £1,400 court costs for failing to maintain health and safety standards at Spice Avenue in Silverdale.
Prosecutor Trevor Vernon said a health and safety inspector had uncovered several hygiene problems at Ali Baba in March last year.
Mr Hussain had been sent a letter outlining what work needed to be done, but no changes had been made when an officer called at the restaurant in May.
Mr Vernon said: "Photographs were taken which indicated the cleanliness of the premises left a lot to be desired."
Mr Hussain pleaded guilty to not acting on seven parts of a hygiene improvement notice.
This included not moving an electric fly killer to reduce the risk of food contamination. He also admitted failing to treat ceiling tiles, water pipes and doors, and keeping fridge and freezer surfaces clean.
He also pleaded guilty to failing to repair the store room ceiling and remove the sealant on a wall so it could be easily cleaned.
Defending, Paul Kay stressed the health and safety improvements had now been made.
He said Mr Hussain had been in the restaurant business since he was a boy. He had managed a restaurant at Hanley Bus Station while completing a business degree at Derby University. He later joined Ali Baba Restaurant and became an associate partner.
He went on to supervise restaurants in Newcastle and Crewe, and Spice Avenue.
Mr Kay said things had started to go wrong for Mr Hussain when he fell into financial difficulties and depression.
He urged the court not to impose a large fine as he said he was already in thousands of pounds of debt and risked losing his home. He said his monthly income from Ali Baba was between nothing and £200.
He said: "Mr Hussain found it all to much. His solution was to sell the businesses in Newcastle and Crewe and to return to just running Ali Babas.
"If he had not decided once more to expand he would not find himself in the predicament he was in today.
"He decided to bring in a manager for Spice Avenue. He said it was a man he trusted and he left him to his own devices. He said it was this decision which led to his previous conviction.
"The charges today are relatively minor and concern failure to clear up, which would not be especially difficult for someone of Mr Hussain's experience. But he could just simply not deal with it at the time."
Chairman of the bench, David Tomlinson, imposed a £8,085 fine plus £500 court costs.
He said: "We have listened very carefully to the mitigation which has been put forward with regard to your circumstances, in particular your financial situation and depression.
"But the upmost important factor to us is the risk that you posed to public safety."
Stoke-on-Trent Elected Mayor Mark Meredith said: "These were serious food hygiene offences and the level of fine imposed by the Magistrates reflects this."
Comment on this story