Man who skinned carcasses in his garden to pay £5k

A businessman who ran a barbecue event business skinned and butchered wild boar, deer and pheasants in his back garden, a court has been told.

Ionut Adrian Apetroaie, 44, appeared at Swindon Magistrates Court on Monday and was fined after pleading guilty to seven charges, many relating to food safety.

Officers seized between 200 and 300kg of meat and other food from his home in 2023.

Mr Apetroaie, who will have to pay nearly £5,000 in fines and costs, said he thought he was doing all he needed to by getting food hygiene training and insurance.

He said he tried to check the requirements, but asked a parish council instead of a municipal authority.

The court heard how officers found evidence that a business under the name of Romeat was being run from the address at Marigold Close, Haydon Wick.

At Monday’s hearing, District Judge Joanna Dickens heard how Mr Apetroaie would visit Smithfield Market and Billingsgate Market in London to collect food for himself, as well as for family, friends and members of the community who made orders for food to him via WhatsApp or social media.

He advertised himself as an event catering business for hire and organised some themed events, like a chess competition, summer BBQ and a planned Halloween party.

Carcasses were being hung from a pull-up bar at the property, the court was told.

There were no suitably hygienic areas to safely produce food or store equipment, with the breeze block garage used having DIY tools in too.

Vacuum packing and smoking had been happening without the right controls and products had non-compliant labels, or none at all.

Some food had been out of temperature control since the early hours of the morning, with no empty fridge space to store it.

Mr Apetroaie was fined £1,300, ordered to pay £3,000 costs and a victim surcharge of £520.

He admitted failing to register his business with the council, not having a food safety management system, not having appropriate controls to keep food safe, not displaying allergen information and failing to protect foods from contamination.

Councillor Jim Grant, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships, said: “This case was made even more serious because he failed to register his business with the Council.

"This requirement is in place so we can advise business owners of the safety procedures and practices they need to follow in order to protect members of the public."

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