£9,000 legal bill for former owner of Oxford shop following conviction
The former owner of an Oxford shop with a history of non compliance has been found guilty at trial in a case brought by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team.
The case, involving seizures of illegal vapes at Matean Market, 128 Hollow Way, Oxford, was heard at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Monday 27 April.
Shafiullah Malikzadeh, 38, of Northampton, was found by the court to have been the owner of Matean Market in 2024 and was subsequently convicted of all eight offences.
He was ordered to pay £3,000 in fines, a £1,200 victim surcharge and costs of £4,755.50, making a total of £8,955.50.
The court heard that trading standards officers tried several times to meet with Mr Malikzadeh in 2023 to provide advice on tobacco and related products, but he failed to attend a meeting and did not respond to other requests.
Officers subsequently inspected the premises on one May 2024, seizing 32 unit packs of vapes which contained nicotine containing liquid of up to five times the maximum permitted level.
Mr Malikzadeh was offered the opportunity to attend a meeting and to voluntarily surrender the seized items but again failed to respond. As a result, two more covert test purchases were attempted on 31 May 2024, and illegal vapes were sold on each occasion. A further inspection on 18 June 2024 resulted in more illegal vapes being seized.
After failing to respond to a request to attend an interview under caution, he was sent a questionnaire to his home address, and a copy was hand delivered to the shop. This resulted in legal proceedings being instituted.
At court, Mr Malikzadeh, who represented himself, denied that he was the owner of the business at the time and claimed the response to the questionnaire had not been sent by him.
He could not explain why three separate letters sent by officers to his home address had not been received and claimed documents found at the shop, purporting to show he was the owner, were false.
However, the court found that, on the weight of evidence, it was satisfied he was the owner at the time of the offences.
Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards operations manager, added: “Shockingly, this is now the eighth different person who has been prosecuted in connection with activities at Matean Market. We will continue to relentlessly pursue anyone involved in the illegal tobacco and vape trade.”
Matean Market is now under new ownership and at its last inspection was in full legal compliance.
Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco and nicotine products should contact 0300 999 6 999 to report it anonymously or visit www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk.
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