Lewisham Council POCA Prosecution: Job Ad Reveals Mandate To 'Maximise Income'

From Borough of Sanctuary to dystopian world — Lewisham Council places landmark restaurant on the POCA grill. THE BIG RETORT…

Some days, when I pass the grimy windows at Laurence House in Catford, I swear I can hear the sound of someone desperately singing from the floors above: “You’ve gotta pick a POCA or two, boys…”

Lewisham once styled itself a Borough of Sanctuary. But today it feels more like a borough for bounty hunters — where local businesses and good neighbours aren’t nurtured, but criminalised for profit. The game is called POCA.

In plain English, the Proceeds of Crime Act works like this: after a criminal conviction is secured, a prosecuting authority can ask the court to treat unexplained money or assets as “criminal benefit” unless proved otherwise. 

The trawl through the person’s past can prove costly, both mentally and financially, as it stretches back six years from when proceedings commence. 

The court then sets a “benefit” figure and an amount it says the person must pay; if you can’t pay (or won’t), a default prison term awaits. 

A powerful tool against drug barons — but misused, it seems, against a much-loved local family restaurant for having a new flue at the rear of the premises without the benefit of planning permission.

This time Ahmet and Şahin Gök, the brothers behind Meze Mangal — the award-winning, much-loved Turkish restaurant at 245 Lewisham Way — are in the council’s crosshairs. 

Their so-called “crime”? Installing an extractor fan to deal with cooking odours after a single alleged complaint. What should have been a routine planning matter has escalated into persecution and harassment of two long-standing British citizens born in Turkey.

Somehow, Lewisham secured a conviction against the Gök brothers — in their absence.
Now the council has escalated the case to Crown Court and, at the last count, is demanding more than £2.5 million under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

The question you may ask is this: wasn’t POCA introduced to seize the ill-gotten gains of drug barons, money launderers and corrupt officials — not to crush a family restaurant over a flue?

Yet Lewisham Council, working with Brent Council, is deploying this draconian tool against two highly respected restaurateurs. Even if the figure is reduced, the accumulated legal costs and risk of confiscation could bankrupt the Gök family and erase a community institution. 

The message to the public is clear: stay silent while power is over-applied.

But silence isn’t an option. This is just one example of a wider enforcement culture — telegraphed even in Lewisham Council’s own job adverts — that prioritises prosecution over proportion. It's very telling.

"...to ensure prosecutions are successful and maximise income for the borough in respect of proceeds of crime."

As if that weren’t enough, at the request of Lewisham’s prosecutor, the Gok brothers’ passports have been seized - treating them as 'immigrant' flight risks. It's truly unbelievable! It is also racist. 

The Gok brothers have lived here for decades, have family and property here, and take pride in both nations that they love. They are NOT flight risks. 

However, if they can’t pay, they face the terrifying threat of up to 14 years in prison. All for an extractor fan.

The legal bills and mental pressure are mounting! 

But then, in the red corner, it’s only public money - your hard-earned money - being spent with wild abandon on expensive outsourced lawyers favoured by the council’s officers. 

And, in the immigrant corner of this Borough of Sanctuary, a Turkish family is penalised and placed in eternal penury, watching the profits of a lifetime swirl down the very streets left uncleaned by misspent tax revenues — misspent on what? Costly lawyers in the red corner.

In one shocking move, a Brent Council financial investigator (yes, Brent) — working on Lewisham’s behalf — even inadvertently (we hope) caused the banks to return Meze Mangal’s takings for an entire week to diners. 

Only one customer reportedly repaid their bill.

But this case isn’t about an  extractor. It’s about profit and precedent over decent Turkish people. Şahin Gök and his brother Ahmet and family. 

How many locals have experienced the “Şahin hug” and welcome?

Speaking with Şahin Gök this week, one thing became clear. The brothers are not asking for sympathy or financial rescue — that is our initiative, not theirs. What they want is simple and dignified: to stand up to a bullying council, and to have their passports returned - immediately.

“We’re not begging,” Şahin said. “We just want to be treated fairly — and to hold our heads high again. We also needed to attend the funerals of our family in Turkey, but that's too late now. That  means more to us than anything.”

Why this matters to you

If Lewisham Council succeeds, it sets a dangerous Orwellian example for others. They come for Meze Mangal today; tomorrow they come for you. 

These are the cards these faceless and heartless and unchecked officials hold:

• Planning disputes treated as criminal enterprises.

• POCA turned into a revenue stream against immigrants, used by councils to balance their nearly bankrupt books. Without your elected members' oversight.

• Ordinary people — immigrants, shopkeepers, carers, foster parents, restaurateurs — crushed with costs, stigma, and even 14-years prison. How outrageous!

Questions for the forthcoming ballot box

Would this happen in a council with real political balance? We think not.

Would it happen in a borough led by elected councillors, not faceless bureaucrats? We think not.

Would the Gök prosecution (and persecution) have happened with strong leadership that values fairness and proportionality? Well, evidently we think not.

A campaign to SAVE MEZE MANGAL

The Big Retort says: enough.

Councils cannot operate in darkness and so we must shine a light on this. NOW. 

Also, they cannot target proud British-Turks  in the hope that they will pay a POCA bounty because they do not seek the glare of publicity. It is this we seek to highlight.

How you can help — right now

• Make a donation — the Gok brothers' costs are already in the tens of thousands. This is not their request, but The Big Retort's. 

• Show your support — write “I support Meze Mangal” in the comments section below or directly to the Mayor and CEO.

• Pop into Meze Mangal and give them a hug in support, or dine there.

• Share this post with friends, neighbours, and anyone who has enjoyed Meze Mangal.

• Tell your story — have you been criminalised, threatened with POCA, or forced toward bankruptcy by Lewisham enforcement? Add your voice below.

Together we saved KJ. Together we can save Meze Mangal. 

This isn’t just about one community restaurant. It’s about justice, fairness, and community in the face of a council that too often forgets its people — and why its members were elected in the first place.

Ask not what your council can do to you — but what you will do to this council at the next election.

Keep comments polite — this is not the judge’s doing but the faceless officials who drove this and the elected members who are too scared to control them. We will be doing more on this later.

---

💬 What do you think?
Share your thoughts below — no login required.
Your comment will appear once approved.

---

Court details (open to the public)

The first hearing on 24 October is what’s called a mention hearing. It isn’t the full trial. Instead, it’s when the judge checks in on the case, hears from both sides, and sets out the next steps in the court timetable.

If needed — full confiscation hearing: Woolwich Crown Court, 19–20 March 2026.