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Officials shocked by ‘deplorable’ crimes not linked to job
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ABUTCHER has been fined for doctoring his meat scales with secret weights to cheat customers.
Matthew Butler stuck coins to the scales with Blu Tack, allowing him to charge shoppers full price for less meat. The scam went on at his Muddy Pig Butchers in Walsall.
The court heard the Cross Streetbased trader altered his instruments deliberately to give a false impression of the weight of produce that was being sold in a bid to fleece his customers.
Butler was fined £1,798 and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to altering his scales at Dudley Magistrates’ Court.
Walsall Council’s Trading Standards team launched an investigation after complaints about the ‘sharp practice’ were made in 2019, the authority said.
Undercover Trading standards officers visited the shop twice in October and November. Each time
they were sold stewing steak which was 40 grams short of the weight they had asked for.
Butler was rumbled on the team’s second visit to the Willenhall site when revealed their true identity and seized the items.
Photographic evidence produced in court showed coins had been tacked on to the scale mechanism.
The coins were the equivalent of 40 grams in weight and meant customers were systematically overcharged. When officers removed the coins and tested the shop scale, they found that it was accurate and could see no reason for the presence of the coins other than to defraud customers. During mitigation, Butler claimed his business was burgled and his shop scales were damaged.
He claimed he tried “experimenting” with them in order to get them to read satisfactorily – and it was for this reason that he added the ballast.
Butler pleaded guilty to one count of ‘fraudulent use of a scale’ and of ‘selling short weight meat’.
Councillor Garry Perry, deputy leader and portfolio holder for regulatory services, said: “It was, without doubt, deliberate fraud and cynically geared towards fleecing vulnerable, as well as low-income and often, elderly shoppers.
“It is a sad truth that, while loyal customers were supporting this butcher’s business with their custom and in good faith, he was cheating them. Just by using this set of dodgy scales within the two-month period of our initial investigations, meant that many customers would have been overcharged by roughly 30p per item. Anyone buying three or more items in one go, would be losing £1 for every shopping trip made – and that’s just one person.”
He has abused his position of trust and should have understood the impact his actions will have on those involved Detective Chief Inspector Sam Batey
AFORMER school engagement officer has been jailed for child sexual offences. Darryl Moffatt, 30, downloaded material from social media and the internet and was involved in a series of sexual messages, online chats and meetings with boys as young as 14.
Moffatt was previously employed as a school partnership engagement officer for The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), a role which was being transitioned to sit within the Violence Reduction Unit.
Between September 2017 and June 2020 he worked with secondary schools across Birmingham to commission activities designed to steer young people away from crime.
After his arrest last June, he was immediately suspended from his role and his contract was not renewed.
All the secondary schools where Moffatt worked were kept informed of the investigation.
Moffatt, of Short Heath Road, Erdington, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photos of
a child, one count of distributing an indecent image of a child, two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one count of attempting to cause or incite a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity in December.
He was jailed for two years and eight months at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.
He will also be subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years and will be placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
Detective Chief Inspector Sam Batey, from West Midlands Police public protection unit, said: “Moffatt’s actions were deplorable.
“He has abused his position of trust and should have understood the impact his actions will have had on those involved.
“All secondary schools that Moffatt was in contact with as part of his role have been kept fully updated throughout our investigation as we recognise the difficulties and concerns that this may have caused.
“This behaviour is not acceptable, we’re committed to finding those perpetrating such crimes against children, and seeking justice.
“I’d urge anyone who has suffered from this type of abuse to come forward and report what has happened.
“We have specialist officers available to support you.”
A statement from the Office of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner read: “The crimes he has been found guilty of are not connected to his work.
“Nonetheless the shock and disappointment that people feel are shared by us.
“The gravity of his crimes should not be understated.
“We are all deeply saddened by the events that have unfolded. Throughout the investigation we have worked closely with the police, local authorities and schools to ensure the safety and well-being of students and young people.”
AN aspiring singer caused chaos in court, smashing up the dock and causing a prison guard to go crashing headfirst down a flight of steps.
Akim Nicholson erupted in anger when he was denied bail at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court where he appeared on a charge of making threats to kill – which was later retracted.
Nicholson, 31, from Dudley, refused to be handcuffed and warned ‘you’re going to have to fight me down’. He then dived down and ripped a chair leg from the bench of the dock, which he waved around.
Fearing for his safety one of the prison officers retreated backwards but slipped and tumbled down the steep flight of stairs leading to the cells.
He sustained serious injuries including a fractured skull and bleeds to the brain.
Nine months on and the officer is still off work and having to be monitored by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital head injury team.
Nicholson, of Buffery Road, admitted causing grievous bodily harm and affray in relation to this incident. His previous 49 offences include public order crimes, robbery, burglary, kidnap, arson and assaults on emergency workers, the court heard.
He was sentenced to 15 months at Birmingham Crown Court where he appeared on a video link from HMP Birmingham. He will serve half of that term in jail.
Recorder Nicholas Syfret QC said: “The extent and the sheer seriousness of the injuries were not something
you remotely intended, but the situation in which the injuries occurred was one caused by your behaviour.”
Victoria Rose, prosecuting, explained how all hell broke loose in court room 5 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on May 5 last year after Nicholson’s bail application was denied.
She said: “The prison officer approached Mr Nicholson to apply the handcuffs but he refused to cooperate.
He stated: ‘I’m not going down you will have to fight me down.’
The dock alarm was activated for assistance and Mr Nicholson dived down to the bench, ripped a leg off and brandished it.”
The prosecutor said Nicholson ordered one prison officer to stay in a corner, which he did, and then ‘turned’ on the other officer in the dock raising the bench leg ‘as if to strike’ him. It was at this point the guard stepped back and slipped down 15 concrete steps leading to the cells.
“His head took the full impact of the fall,” added Ms Rose.
Nicholson proceeded to throw other pieces of the bench at the victim until other staff arrived to ‘drag’ him to safety.
But the defendant continued to be ‘aggressive’ and swung the bench leg at the dock glass causing it to shatter. Officers had to use shields to corner and eventually detain him.
The injured guard was in hospital for nearly a week and has been left feeling extremely anxious when in public, said the prosecutor.
Tim Harrington, defending, stated Nicholson suffered post-traumatic stress order (PTSD) as a result of being the victim of an attack which now caused him to ‘over-react to situations and become angry’.
Mr Harrington added: “He is genuinely remorseful.
“He didn’t intend for anybody to be hurt and he is sorry for it.
“There is cause for optimism for Mr Nicholson. He has a long interest in singing and music and has signed a contract with a record producer.”
He refused to cooperate. He stated: ‘I’m not going down, you will have to fight me down’ Victoria Rose, prosecuting