A group of fraudsters managed to steal a total of £195,000 in government grants by pretending to run a group of businesses, including a Greggs bakery.
Rochdale, St Helens, and Thurrock councils all provided money to Rais Kayani after a number of false applications were made for the Small Business Grant Fund.
The councils were defrauded out of £75,000, £35,000, and £85,000 respectively within the space of just five days, with those responsible later transferring a large proportion of the funds to America and Hong Kong.
Between the period of 4 May and 9 May 2020, fraudsters impersonated the popular high street bakery chain Greggs in order to secure cash from St Helens council.
A court heard that genuine business rate account numbers were used by the group in order to support the false applications, with thousands of pounds in funds then awarded to fraudsters by the local authority.
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Investigators were unable to discover exactly who submitted the applications. They were, however, able to track the payments to an account for a company based in Luton, Beds, called RAK Traders and Services Ltd.
Rais Kayani, 31, was revealed as the sole director of the company, and bank statements from the business account showed that a total of £195,000 had been received from the three different local authorities in the corresponding period.
A few days after the money was paid into the account by the various councils, statements show £100,000 leaving on 12 May to an American account.
Shortly afterward, $47,500 was transferred from the American dollar account to another bank account, this time in Hong Kong.
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Appearing at trial at Southwark Crown Court, Kayani plead guilty to a single charge of entering into a money laundering arrangement and was given a 16 months jail term, suspended for 18 months.
A suspended sentence is served in the community rather than in prison and is designed to allow the offender probation and rehabilitation.
The Crown Prosecution Service has since recovered £155,000 of taxpayer’s money and is seeking a confiscation order to retrieve the rest.
Speaking after sentencing, Ben Reid of the CPS said: “At a time of national emergency during the COVID-19 crisis, vast government funds were released to support struggling businesses across the country.
“Kayani was the cynical beneficiary of a series of false applications to local authorities in different parts of the country from where his business operated.
“Having dishonestly benefitted from the fraudulent applications for the Small Business Grant Fund, he transferred the proceeds overseas.
“We have already recovered £155,000 of taxpayer’s money and will now seek a confiscation order for the remaining funds.”
Inside Voyeur, a mysterious new post-punk 80s-inspired cocktail bar
Daisy Jackson
A brand new cocktail bar is set to open in Manchester this week, with dark and mysterious interiors, 80s inspiration, and a raunchy theme.
Voyeur is opening in the heart of the Northern Quarter, and here it’s all about modern drinks in a post-punk 80s setting.
The walls are decorated with beautiful voyeurism photography from the 80s, including artists like David Hockney, Nick Taggart, and Malerie Marder.
Even the menus celebrate the artistic side of voyeurism, with drinks presented within a book of photography.
Those drinks include creative twists on drinks dating back more than a century, from the Kaleidescope of Lies (a two-in one cocktail inspired by a pina colada, with a strawberry daiquiri foam top) to The Voyeur (made with coriander-infused tequila for a savoury punch).
There’ll be monthly themed specials, kicking off with The Breakfast Club, where seasonal drinks take inspiration from Lucky Charms cereal, chai latte and an acai bowl.
Cocktails inspired by The Breakfast Club at VoyeurCocktails at Voyeur in the Northern QuarterInside Voyeur, a new Manchester cocktail barInside Voyeur, a new Manchester cocktail barVoyeur on Oldham StreetThe cocktail menu is presented as a photography book
The dark space is lit by marble table lamps and a glittering green disco ball (and not much else), perfect for an evening spent sipping cocktails into the early hours.
Between Thursdays and Sundays, Voyeur will have DJs spinning vinyls.
Voyeur is opening this week on Oldham Street and will be open from 5pm to 2am between Tuesday and Sunday.
A brand-new dessert, ice-cream and doughnut shop in a former Manc food spot
Thomas Melia
Sweet lovers and dessert connoisseurs alike, a brand-new dessert, ice-cream and doughnut shop is opening in Manchester city centre this month.
Titled ‘Baby Mayhem’, this sweet-filled shop has been teasing its arrival for the past month with videos showcasing everything from new instalments to their graffiti-style logo.
This brand-new opening will be located on Radium Street, not too far away from Chinese superstar Wing Yip and fellow sweet treat specialists, Flat Baker, right in the heart of Ancoats.
The interior has been given a very nice and bright facelift too, going from an all white four-walled site to a bold and distinctive baby pink-covered site.
Manchester seems to have quite the sweet tooth at the moment, as it was only last month that our Northern Quarter was christened by cake gods, Get Baked.
As for this new dessert shop, they’re starting from scratch, with a temporary wooden window frame with their branding spray-painted onto it fitted ahead of their soft launch later this week.
Baby Mayhem is taking up residence in the much-loved Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria shop, and it really is out with the old, in with the new, as the familiar neon ‘No Lasagne’ sign has been traded for a sweeter read of ‘Fresh Donuts’.
It may be Yank spelling, but this still feels Manc through and through.
Case and point: all their signage, stamps and stencils have been done by local laser cutting service and neighbours, Drawn By The Light – also on Radium Street.
Enough salt, let’s have a serious amount of sugar. (Credit: Baby Mayhem via Instagram)
Baby Mayhem are taking sweet treats to the complete extreme, serving up everyone’s beloved combo of coffees and cakes, while also creating our soon-to-be-favourite indulgence: doughnut sandwiches. 10/10, no notes – genius.
There really are no complaints here; what’s not to love?
Baby Mayhem is taking up residence in the former Lazy Tony’s site, 23 Radium Street in Ancoats, and will be serving up their sweet treats for all to try from this Saturday, 26 April.
Georgina Pellant -
5th July 2023 
