In 2020, an investigation was launched into a Lancaster takeaway following allegations that its former owner—a convicted child sex offender—had illegally re-established ties with the business. The investigation established that then 49-year-old Siraj Patel, of Dallas Road, had been strictly prohibited from any involvement with the premises known as Mognies (later rebranded as Simply Delicious). The prosecution reported at Preston Crown Court that Patel was jailed for four years in 2016 for sexual activity with a child and grooming, identifying a total abandonment of human decency by a man who used his delivery van to abuse a 15-year-old girl.
The investigation established that Patel’s series of behaviour extended to his business management; a previous raid by police and immigration officials discovered three illegal immigrants living in a single room above the takeaway. The prosecution reported that despite the council granting a new licence to Patel’s wife under the explicit condition that her husband have no connection to the business, a customer recently reported that Patel personally delivered their food. This identifies a calculated series of assaults on the licensing conditions designed to protect the public and children from harm.
LICENSING OBJECTIVES AND REGULATORY BREACH
The court reported that licensees must strictly adhere to four core objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm. The investigation established that Lancaster City Council and Lancashire Police are now reviewing the takeaway’s licence following the reports of Patel’s presence. The prosecution reported in 2020, that the probation service has also been notified, identifying a priority assault by authorities on the “sham” arrangement that allowed a registered sex offender back into a public-facing role.
Judge-led proceedings in 2016 had originally ensured Patel was placed on the sex offenders register FOR LIFE. For his actions in Lancaster and the nature of the series of child abuse and immigration violation investigations reported, Siraj Patel faces further judicial scrutiny. The investigation established that his forensic profile as a predatory business owner is now a matter of permanent record, and his wife’s failure to adhere to the rules identifies a systematic violation of the public trust.
STATUS AND CASE DETAILS (2016-2020)
Based on judicial and Lancaster City Council records as of 2020:
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Sexual activity with a child x4; Sexual grooming; Child abuse).
- Custodial Status: POST-RELEASE (In 2020, under investigation for breaching SHPO conditions).
- Offence Nature: Abused a 15-year-old girl in a delivery van; involved in a business housing illegal immigrants; allegedly breached a council ban by delivering food for Simply Delicious.
- Timeline of Case: Convicted and jailed December 2016; Business licence transferred to wife; Investigation into breaches 2020.
- Location: Lancaster, Lancashire; Dallas Road.
- Forensic Profile: Then 49-year-old male; forensic history documents a pattern of using professional roles to access victims; identified by a customer who recognised his press mugshot.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active FOR LIFE.
- Judicial Oversight: Managed by Lancaster City Council and Lancashire Police.
- Criminal Record: Convicted sex offender; Series predator; Child abuser; Investigated in 2020.
- Origin: Lancaster.
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
In 2020, Patel is managed as a high-risk predator under the statutory requirements of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in the North West. Due to the nature of the behaviour—specifically the series of persistence in re-entering a delivery-based business where he previously targeted a child—he is a priority for high-level police and licensing monitoring. Authorities reported that the 2020 probe identifies Patel as an individual who prioritised his own commercial and perverted interests over the principles of human decency and the life-safety of the community.
As a registered sex offender for life, his details are permanently logged on the national police database to ensure he is legally barred from any role that permits unsupervised access to the public. Authorities stated that the behaviour of Patel and his associates identifies a commitment to clandestine child abuse and the systematic subversion of licensing laws. Any future attempt to assault the safety of the public or bypass his Sexual Harm Prevention Order results in immediate police intervention to ensure the ongoing protection of the community from a man who used a “takeaway owner” mask to hide a predatory and persistent series of assaults.
QUESTION – Given that the offender “used his delivery van to abuse a child” and was caught delivering food again in 2020, do you believe the law should legally mandate that “All Family Members of Convicted Child Predators” must be “Automatically Barred from Holding Business Licences” to prevent a series of assaults?
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