Convicted Calderdale seller of illegal goods has licence rejected after trying to use different name

Calderdale Council’s Licensing Sub-committee, who also heard his name was one of five aliases, refused Mr Aria Sarbast, of Hanson Lane, Halifax, a personal licence.

A personal licence allows a person to sell alcohol, or authorise the sale of alcohol, under the authority of a premises license.

They heard following a raid on the Eastern European Centre, Gibbet Street, Halifax, on June 22 last year Mr Sarbast had been charged under the name of Ahmed Ameen with selling goods with a sign or packaging likely to be mistaken for a registered trademark.

He admitted the offence on June 22, 2018, and was convicted of the offence and received a community order for 12 months for being involved in the trade of non-duty paid tobacco for retail purposes.

This expired in June but the rehabilitation period for the offence is 12 months on from that, on June 22, 2020.

Mr Sarbast told the committee the premises raided were his first business and he was not aware of requirements.

A few people from Eastern Europe had asked him to sell some products for them and at the time he did not know these were illegal.

Charing the meeting, Coun Daniel Sutherland (Lab, Illingworth and Mixenden) pointed out to Mr Sarbast that being ignorant of the law did not mean the offence was not a crime and as a businessman it was his responsibility to understand the laws.

Mr Sarbast said he was now familiar with the laws, had received training and an offence would not happen again.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed the conviction would not be fully spent until June 22 next year.

They objected to the application because in the current circumstances they took the view that granting Mr Sarbast a licence would enable him to commit such offences, with national licence guidelines having an objective of preventing crime and disorder.

Once the conviction was fully spent the situation might be looked at differently.

Coun Rob Holden (Ind, Ryburn) said the police statement in case papers provided to councillors that Mr Sarbast had five aliases concerned him.

Members learned the raid in 2018 uncovered illegal cigarettes and rolling tobacco under the counter and in a back store room.

In total there had been 7,680 sticks of cigarettes and 5.5 kilos of tobacco, said the police’s statement.