Woman convicted over £1m tobacco factory is spared jail sentence due to baby

Daily Mail​

5 days ago

A woman who admitted her involvement in a £1m tobacco factory tax scam has been spared a prison sentence.
Wiktoria Bejma walked free from Livingston Sheriff Court last week after the judge said doing so would be to the detriment of her newborn child.
The 29-year-old criminal was even given credit for being the only member of the five-strong gang to 'face the music' after her four male co-accused fled the country.
The court heard police went to the Thistle Business Park in Broxburn, West Lothian, in January 2022 after receiving a tip-off about suspicious activity there.
After peeking inside the unit through a hole in the door officers called for back-up before entering the premises.
Depute Fiscal Mandy Jones told the court that when the officers got inside they saw a man run into another room and slam the door shut.
Inside the other room they found Bejma and three men 'actively involved in the process of operating highly sophisticated tobacco production and packaging machines'.
Wiktoria Bejma leaving Livingston Sheriff Court after admitting revenue fraud
The sophisticated set-up included expensive machinery and special insulation to mask the noise and smells from tobacco processing.
Officers from His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) were called to the scene and found a mobile phone attributed to Bejma on top of one of the machines.
It was found to contain a message stating: 'It starts tomorrow' and others arranging places for the workers to live in Edinburgh.
The fiscal added that there were comments about the machines 'working fine' with one message asking: 'When will we get cigarettes to move?'
The phone also contained videos and images of the machines in operation.
Ms Jones said the value of the duty evaded as a result of the operation would have totalled £815,607. Around four tonnes of tobacco and the machinery were seized.
Bejma pleaded guilty to her involvement in processing, manufacturing and packaging tobacco products at the illicit unit between October 20, 2022 and January 13, 2023.
A tobacco machine inside Scotland's largest illicit manufacturing plant in Broxburn, West Lothian
Meanwhile, arrest warrants have been issued for Andrius Parnarauskas, 39, Danas Butkevicius, 36, and Tomas Jutkeviucius, 23, after they failed to appear to answer the charge last year, sparking an international manhunt which is still ongoing.
Bejma's lawyer said his client, who now lives in England, had no previous convictions and had just given birth to child.
He explained that she became involved after her business failed following the Covid epidemic and she found herself unable to repay a loan.
He claimed she had only visited the premises on two occasions but conceded that she had played an active role in running the operation, adding: 'She's genuinely remorseful and accepts that she should not have been involved in this offending which she fully accepts is serious.'
Passing sentence, Sheriff Valerie Mays said she had considered the mitigating factors, including Bejma's remorse.
She added: 'I also accept that only you of the five in this case have in effect stayed to face the music.
'It's my understanding that the others have outstanding warrants for their apprehension and have fled the country.
'I also have regard to the fact that you have a young baby and the effect that a custodial sentence would have on that child.
'Given the fact that you have a young baby I feel I can just step back from imposing a custodial sentence.'
As a direct alternative to a prison sentence, she imposed a community payback order comprising 12 months social work supervision and 300 hours of unpaid work.
In addition, she told Bejma she would be electronically tagged to remain in her home in England from 8.30pm to 7am for five months under a restriction of liberty order.
She adjourned consideration of a Crown motion for confiscation of cash and assets under Proceeds of Crime legislation until August 8.
Joe Hendry, assistant director for HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service, said it was 'one of the largest and most sophisticated tobacco factories ever uncovered in Scotland'.
He commented: 'We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to target anyone we suspect as being involved in the illicit tobacco trade.
'The illicit tobacco trade steals money from our vital public services, undercuts legitimate businesses and can fund other crimes that harm our communities.'