Council secures fines for mail forwarding company in ‘first of its kind’ prosecution

Islington Council has successfully prosecuted a mail forwarding business that accepted fake identification and failed to keep proper records of its customers, in what is thought to be the first prosecution of its kind.

Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court handed the company, Mailbox Group Ltd, a £16,000 fine and convicted the firm on four counts of failing to comply with the London Local Authorities Act 2007.

The firm receives letters and parcels on behalf of its clients and then forwards them to them.

Under Section 75 (6)(e) says of the 2007 Act, mail forwarding businesses must keep certain documents when taking on clients so that their clients can be identified if required. 

Section 75 (6)(e) says:

(6) A person who carries on a mail forwarding business shall keep a record of the following particulars—

(e) copies of the originals of two documents of a type approved by the council for the purposes of identifying the persons and verifying the address mentioned in paragraph (a) above.

However, a council investigation found that the company had accepted a fake ID that should have been identified as false.

The police were immediately able to identify the ID as fake because it used the identity of a famous footballer.

The London borough said that the failure to carry out appropriate checks also hampered an investigation into illegally imported drugs by some clients, as the acceptance of a fake ID prevented authorities from identifying key suspects. 

According to the council, the magistrates said at the sentencing hearing: "Because of these offences and lapses in protocols, serious criminality has taken place, which we have no doubt in our minds has led to misery, and perhaps even worse, for people who have consumed illegally imported drugs.

"We are more than alarmed that, in the space of a year, the company has done next to nothing to improve the standards to which it holds its customers. We find that outrageous."

Mailbox Group Ltd was convicted on four counts of failing to comply with section 75 (6)(e) of the London Local Authorities Act 2007. They received a fine of £4,000 for each offence, resulting in a total penalty of £16,000.

The company is appealing the convictions.

Cllr John Woolf, Executive Member for Community Safety, said: "Mailbox Group Ltd's failure to implement even basic checks not only allowed criminals to evade justice but also undermined the safety of our community.

"We hope this case sends a strong signal to other mail forwarding businesses that complacency is not an option, and we will take robust action."

Mailbox Group Ltd has been approached for comment.

Adam Carey