Ringleaders behind £300,000 North East rogue fish-selling network sentenced to a combined 5 years

Two men who drove a wide-reaching rogue fish-selling network operating out of County Durham have been sentenced today (12 December 2025) at Teesside Crown Court for fraudulent trading offences.

The sentencing follows a major National Trading Standards operation that has already brought several of the most prolific rogue fish sellers before the courts and has now dismantled a criminal supply chain responsible for more than £300,000 in fraudulent sales and years of aggressive, distressing doorstep scams targeting hundreds of vulnerable and isolated residents.

Sunil Satyapal Khanna, 68, of Exelby Close, Newcastle NE3 5LG, and Daran David Bankhead, 48, of Danelaw, Great Lumley, DH3 4LU, pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading under the Companies Act 2006. They were each sentenced by HRH Judge Carroll to three years’ imprisonment, reduced to 30 months and two weeks each to reflect their guilty pleas. While Khanna and Bankhead were not the sellers knocking on doors, they were the key players who sat at the head of a large criminal operation.

For years, traders facilitated by Khanna and Bankhead posed as legitimate mobile fish sellers, often claiming to be from long-established family businesses. In reality, they used a pattern of unfair, misleading and aggressive behaviour to deceive people in their own homes.

Complaints described sellers targeting elderly and vulnerable residents in their own homes, pushing their way inside, dumping boxes of unlabelled or poor-quality fish in kitchens and hallways, and refusing to leave until frightened victims handed over bank cards or cash. Many were misled into believing the fish had been pre-ordered or that they were being offered a favour or discount, only to be charged exorbitant prices which were far more than had been agreed. Others were supplied with excessive quantities of fish they had not asked for or were charged without ever being told the price. In some cases, the fish sold was of such poor quality it was later judged unfit for human consumption.

Bankhead supplied the fish through his company North Quay Fisheries Ltd (NQF) and also provided vans and logistical support. Khanna was a silent 50% stakeholder in NQF and his role in the operation saw him bankroll and equip the sellers by providing finance, card machines, vehicles and debt-chasing services.

In 2015, when the duo took control of NQF, they did not appear to have the intention to commit fraud, but by 2019 it became clear to both men that they were facilitating fraudulent activity through at least half a dozen of their fish sellers. From this moment they were wilfully blind to the fraud they were facilitating, and the hundreds of customers who were being scammed. The sales by criminal fish sellers operating under NQF’s network from early 2019 to the end of the indictment period totalled £300,578.

Victims described being left overwhelmed, intimidated and cornered on their own doorsteps as the sellers used high-pressure tactics to push unwanted fish on vulnerable people.

One 83-year-old woman was charged £398 for unlabelled fish after a seller refused to leave her house until she handed over her bank card. Another victim with mobility difficulties was pushed into buying nearly £350 of fish after being told he “had no choice” after boxes of fish were opened in front of him in his home.

A victim’s family member said:
“My mother was left shaken and embarrassed. She thought she’d done something wrong when in fact she had been preyed upon by people who knew exactly what they were doing.”

Today’s sentencing marks a significant moment in a long-running National Trading Standards project to tackle rogue fish sellers. In 2017, the National Trading Standards Regional Investigations Team (North East) was tasked with identifying the principal suspects and bringing enforcement action. In the years since, 14 rouge traders have been successfully convicted. Several of those convicted pointed towards the integral role that Khanna and Bankhead played in their operations. Before today’s sentencing, NQF had been dissolved and Khanna had surrendered his credit licence.

Lord Michael Bichard, Chair of National Trading Standards, said:
“Criminal fish sellers have blighted communities in the north east for years, targeting vulnerable and isolated people. They showed no regard for their customers, often offloading fish so poor in quality it wasn’t even fit to eat.

“Many victims were left scared and shaken after being cornered and intimidated in their own homes by aggressive criminal traders. The National Trading Standards Regional Investigations Team (North East) had already taken several sellers off the streets and today’s sentencing dismantles a major operation that facilitated their fraudulent trading.”

Anyone concerned about doorstep sellers, or who believes they may have been targeted, should contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133.

ENDS