Maesteg man who sold diet pills made from DNP poison jailed
A man who sold diet pills on the internet which were actually poison has been jailed for three years.Kyle Enos, 33, had only been out of prison for a few months for selling fentanyl online when he bought the drug 2, 4 Dinotrophenol, or DNP, on the dark web from suppliers in India and China.He pressed it into pills in his bedroom in Maesteg, Bridgend.Cardiff Crown Court heard DNP is a regulated substance classed as both a poison and a secondary explosive that has caused at least 34 deaths in the UK.
Judge Simon Mills told Enos his website gave the impression that the tablets were produced in "some sort of professional laboratory by people in white coats and qualifications and expertise".Officers raided Enos' property on Station Road in Maesteg on 25 July 2024 and found 2.5kg of orange powder and a machine used to press it into pill form.Enos admitted a total of eight charges at Cardiff Magistrates Court including possessing 2, 4 DNP, supplying the drug and supplying a regulated poison.He had also admitted five charges of failing to comply with a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) handed to him following his fentanyl convictions.In 2018 he was sentenced to eight years in prison for supplying "significant amounts" of the opioid, fentanyl to a total of 166 contacts.Four of those contacts, including Jack Barton, 23, a Cardiff University student, and Arran Rees, 34, from Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, died.No charges were brought in relation to their deaths as it could not be said with certainty Enos had supplied the fentanyl.Having served some of his eight-year sentence, he was released on licence, in 2021, but was recalled to prison in June 2022, before being released again in August 2022.
Under the terms of his SCPO he was not allowed to sell products online or in a virtual marketplace; he was not allowed to access the dark web and had to notify a National Crime Agency (NCA) officer about possessing mobile phones and laptops and creating his own internet page.Enos pleaded guilty to five failures to comply with his SCPO having used a laptop to access the dark web to set up a Proton email account with end-to-end encryption and creating up a website selling DNT.The court was shown screengrabs of his online marketplace which included suggestions of products customers "may also like" giving the impression of it being a legitimate pharmacy.He took payment for the drugs by bank transfer, bitcoin and other cryptocurrency from customers around the world, including as far away as New Zealand.Enos has refused access to police to some of his devices.DNP is the drug which led to the death of Eloise Parry, 21, at hospital in Wrexham, in 2015.The Glyndwr University student, died after taking eight capsules.
In bodycam footage shown to the court the powder can be seen in a washing up bowl on his bedroom floor next to an empty pizza box.Underwear can also be seen next to his bed by the pill press machine and another washing up bowl filled with pills.Judge Simon Mills said he wanted the footage to be released to the media for members of the public to be made aware of the unsanitary conditions in which the pills were made."You were selling poison to the general public," said Judge Mills."Your pharmacy was in fact your house or flat and you were preparing and pressing the pills you were selling to the general public on a filthy piece of equipment amongst training shoes and discarded underwear."He was sentenced to a total of 36 months in prison."You have a propensity for selling dangerous substances to people," said Judge Mills, adding: "This is a habit that you must stop.""The court doesn't know the full extent of the harm that you did by peddling this horrendous substance."If any of your product is still out there in the community and it can be shown to have killed someone, you should face an investigation for manslaughter, but hopefully that will not happen."A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing will be held later this year.
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Sky News
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'He was going to kill me': More strangulation cases recorded by police but many investigations falter
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This was the outcome in three in five investigations overall, including one in five investigations where the victim did support police action. Outcomes were similar in both years of available data. "In around half of cases, there are no external, physical, visible signs of injury. That's not to say that there aren't internal injuries that can't be seen just with the naked eye," said Ms Smailes, who is a research officer at IFAS. "It might be that that visible injury isn't present at the time of evidence capture that might develop over time, or because there's a difference in how individuals show bruising, for example those of different skin tones. That can contribute towards there not being enough perceived evidence to be able to progress with a police case," she said. In some cases where a victim disengages from police proceedings, it may be that they did not feel supported and believed in the process or felt that there were "too many obstacles". 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Investigators not only have to secure detailed evidence rapidly but also present the best possible case so that prosecutors and juries understand how an abuser is operating, she said. "That can be a challenging job, for a police service that's under pressure, trying to deal with a myriad of priorities. I know many investigators are passionate about getting this right." "We know we're up against it when it comes to securing convictions, but we're determined to improve," she added. Fewer than half were convicted Separate research by IFAS has found that in the first year under the new legislation, only around half of the number of offences charged by police were prosecuted, and less than half of those secured a conviction. Overall, 47% of the 1,437 prosecutions of non-fatal strangulation and suffocation offences in the year to June 2023 resulted in conviction, based on data from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) from all courts in England and Wales. 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The data also shows that while people from all ages are impacted, most victims are younger, with three in five aged 34 or under. The age profile of suspects was slightly higher, with three in five suspects aged between 25 and 44. 'I want to say it's not your fault' Sarah's case ended in evidential difficulties. Though her case was reported before 2022, when strangulation became a specific offence, she said she did provide substantial physical evidence to the police and she feels "let down" by the justice system. She said she has been diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and other health issues. "I live with it every day. It can be a song that comes on the radio or a sign or somebody's name and it would just bring everything back to me to that point, that moment," she said. "I want to say it's not your fault. Nobody has the right to control you, nobody has the right to abuse you, rape you, strangle you. "I would urge anyone to speak out and if you feel like you haven't been heard and your voice has not been listened to, speak out again."
Daily Mail
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Trans lobby groups 'lied for years' that anyone self identifying as a different gender could access women's' toilets, equality chief says
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Five members of same family jailed for 17 years over £136,000 fake armed robbery plot at Post Office
Five members of the same family have been jailed for their involvement in a plot to conceal over £130,000 stolen from a Post Office in a staged armed robbery. Taxi driver Rajvinder Kahlon, 43, pretended to be an armed robber as part of the plot at the branch in Hounslow, west London. Kahlon, of Great West Road, Hounslow, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years' imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday after being convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, conspiracy to steal from the Post Office, and conspiracy to money launder. Metropolitan Police officers had responded to reports on April 1 last year of an armed robbery at the Post Office within a convenience store in Brabazon Road, Hounslow. Two women working at the branch, sub-postmistress Sunaver Dhillon, 68, and Ramandeep Dhillon, 40, both of Lyne Road, Virginia Water, lied to officers that they had been threatened by a man with a pistol who stole £50,000, as well as the branch's CCTV system. The court heard that money from a safe and a CCTV hard disc had already been removed by Kahlon's cousin Sukhvir Dhillon, the husband of Ramandeep Dhillon and son of Sunaver Dhillon, before the staged robbery. Police analysis of Kahlon's phone showed he was in regular contact with Sukhvir Dhillon, 38, the court heard. Her Honour Judge Lindsey Rose said of the family's fake robbery: 'It meant many resources were deployed to the Post Office when they could have been deployed elsewhere where they may have saved others, all because of your greed and conniving in pretending this was an armed robbery.' Kahlon was initially arrested and appeared at Isleworth Crown Court charged with the armed robbery of Ramandeep Dhillon and Sunaver Dhillon before the inside job was revealed. Kahlon indicated at a pre-trial review that he was willing to plead guilty to the bogus charge before the prosecution requested he was not arraigned. Sentencing Kahlon, Judge Rose said: 'You were the fall guy for this, the robber who failed at his role. 'You were even willing to enter a guilty plea that would have seen you serve a sentence of years' imprisonment for a crime you didn't commit.' The judge said Kahlon was 'hoping to be paid handsomely by Sukhvir Dhillon' for keeping quiet, adding that the family's lies were 'maintained over the investigation and prosecution of Mr Kahlon'. Detectives from the Met's Flying Squad identified Kahlon from CCTV, tracking him to a nearby car which was registered to him. Kahlon's DNA was also found on a metal fence that he cut himself on as he fled the scene. Elroy Claxton, mitigating for Kahlon, said his client became involved in the plot because of 'an overpowering of his mind by brotherly love'. He added that Kahlon was 'remorseful' and denied ever having a firearm in his possession or transferring money over borders. An audit by the Post Office found that the actual amount of money missing from the store was around £136,000 - none of the money was ever recovered. The court heard that some of the stolen money may have been sent to India and Canada while they travelled to those countries. Sentencing the family, the judge said: 'You carefully planned a false robbery at a time when you knew the maximum amount of money would be at the Post Office. 'You lied and lied again to try to get away with this.' Judge Rose said the Dhillon family's expenditure and lifestyle far exceeded their income. The judge told them: 'You enjoyed multiple expensive cars, holidays and houses - including a very large house in Virginia Water that enjoyed an expensive renovation.' Sukhvir Dhillon, of Lyne Road, Virginia Water, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for his part in the conspiracy after being found guilty of the same charges as Kahlon at Isleworth Crown Court on March 27. Sentencing Sukhvir Dhillon, Judge Rose said: 'You were the person that was the lead of this offence, you planned what would happen, organised it and put everyone in place.' Sunaver Dhillon, mother of Sukhvir Dhillon, was sentenced to three years and one months' imprisonment for her part in the conspiracy after being found guilty of the same charges as Kahlon. Sentencing her, Judge Rose said: 'You went to work to give an air of authenticity to this crime, making sure the safe was open and using your role as sub-postmistress to make sure the maximum amount could be taken.' Ramandeep Dhillon, the wife of Sukhvir Dhillon, was sentenced to two years and five months' imprisonment for the same charges. Sentencing her, Judge Rose said: 'You were no doubt brought in for your acting abilities, happy to play your part in acting scared and upset by this fake robbery. You even lied about there being a gun.' Another family member, Mandeep Gill, 45, was sentenced to two years and four months' imprisonment, after being found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and conspiracy to money launder. Gill was not brought into the conspiracy until after the false police report was made, with prosecutor Richard Reynolds adding that her role was 'lesser than the others'. Mr Reynolds said the conspiracy was a 'particularly cynical plan' in light of the Post Office Horizon controversy, adding that it came at a time when 'public awareness and concern around the Horizon scandal was at its absolute peak'. A Post Office spokesperson said: 'We want to publicly thank the Metropolitan Police for its very thorough investigation into this staged armed robbery which was solved using CCTV footage, DNA evidence and other data to identify those involved with this crime.'
