UK court sentences Ghanaian entrepreneur to prison for storing fish in bathtub

A UK court has sentenced a Ghanaian businessman who supplied ready made fish meals to supermarkets after firefighters discovered he was storing fish in his bathtub and on a bathroom floor beside a toilet.

Stephen Akuoko, 62, was found out when emergency crews responded to a fire at his flat in Watford. While tackling a wok fire at the property on Haines Way, firefighters uncovered large quantities of fish kept in unsanitary conditions, prompting an investigation by Watford Borough Council’s environmental health team.

Akuoko later pleaded guilty to two food safety offences, including breaching hygiene regulations and failing to comply with a remedial action notice.

At St Albans Crown Court, Judge Francis Sheridan described the conditions as “disgusting” and said the food produced was unfit for human consumption. He handed Akuoko a two year suspended prison sentence and banned him from operating any food business for five years.

The court heard that Akuoko had been under scrutiny from environmental health officers before the fire but had been difficult to trace. After the discovery at his flat, officials issued enforcement action. However, within weeks, products from his business, Tribal Foods, were again found on sale in local shops.

In sentencing, Judge Sheridan said Akuoko’s small venture had grown beyond his control, leading him to adopt unsafe practices.

“Fish on the floor of the bathroom, fish in the bathtub, and then you cooked them up and sold them,” the judge said. “How you would even think about serving food kept like that to even your own family beggars belief.”

The court was told that Akuoko had previously owned a supermarket but lost the business after a lease dispute and an unsuccessful legal battle, which left him homeless for a period before he was provided with social housing.

His lawyer said he later set up Tribal Foods, initially operating from a rented kitchen before moving production to his home as he struggled financially. The business, the court heard, was not profitable and was his only source of income at the time.

Despite this, the judge stressed that public safety had been put at risk, noting that Akuoko continued to supply food to outlets including supermarkets and corner shops.