A STUDLEY butcher has been jailed for placing fake adverts in local papers and selling mislabelled meat.

Simon Drust, owner of The Meat Shack at Spernal Garden Centre on Alcester Road, has been sentenced to 33 months imprisonment for placing adverts in the Redditch Standard, Solihull Observer and on Facebook saying "Buy British-All Beef pork, Lamb and Chicken" when much of it came from abroad.

Appearing at Warwick Crown Court earlier today Drust, from Johns Close in Studley, was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120.

Also appearing was director of The Meat Shack Susan Mitchell, also of Johns Close in Studley.

All counts for her were allowed to lie on file.

Meat Shack Studley Limited was handed a £300,000 fine, a confiscation order of £127,690, and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £54,527.

Drust appeared at Coventry Crown Court in October last year facing a number of charges relating to fraud and misleading customers.

He was charged with dishonestly making false representation to make a gain which he admitted.

He also admitted a further charge of “carrying on the business of the company with intent to defraud”.

Susan Mitchell entered pleas of guilty on behalf of the company to “possessing/controlling article(s) for use in fraud and dishonestly making false representation to make gain for self/another".

At the same time two butchers Dominic Brown, from Shelden, and Michael McCarron, from Solihull also appeared and received cautions for their part and their charges were allowed to lie on file.

Drust and Ms Mitchell appeared at Warwick Crown Court earlier today (Thursday, April 25).