Bankrupt and Co-Defendants Sentenced

Updated:Mar 2010

Bankrupt and Co-Defendants Sentenced

Two former girlfriends and a third co-defendant of convicted fraudster Abdullah Mahfooth, aged 36, were sentenced on the 2nd of October 2009 for assisting in his illegal activity.

In September 2007, Mahfooth set up The Watch and Jewellery Centre in New Bond Street, Central London whilst being tried by the Department for Business, Innovations and Skills (BIS) for bankruptcy offences. Mahfooth had been registered as a bankrupt since 1996 and as a bankrupt, he would not be able to act as a director for a business. Mahfooth used his co-defendants to set up a company and bank accounts in order for him to run The Watch and Jewellery Centre. This enabled Mahfooth to avoid paying his creditors.

At the Watch and Jewellery Centre, Mahfooth was selling very high value watches with a retail value of between a few thousand pounds and £52,000. In total, approximately half a million pounds of watches were seized from the shop.

The investigation was referred to London RART by BIS who carried out a proactive investigation. A series of raids was carried out across London on 10th September 2008 which resulted in the defendants being arrested.

Mahfooth was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment on 04/09/09 for the offence of trading as a bankrupt to run consecutively with the 2 and a half years he received in 2008 for fraudulent trading offences pursued by BIS.

Former girlfriends of Mahfooth's; Tammy Witham,34, of Clapham, South West London and Johanna Thomas, 30, of Battersea, South West London both pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting fraudulent trading. Witham received a 9 month prison sentence suspended for 2 years and 150 hours of unpaid work. Thomas was sentenced to a 5 month prison sentence suspended for 2 years and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Salwa Hamid, 31, of Northfleet, Kent pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting fraudulent trading and was given a 9 month prison sentence suspended for 2 years and 150 hours of unpaid work.

London RART is currently carrying out a confiscation investigation on the defendants.

Det Supt Matt Parkes said; "This successful prosecution shows that RART will pursue those who are committing offences which affect the people of London. RART and the MPS are dedicated to ensuring that crime does not pay."