A 31-year-old man from Zimbabwe, was today sentenced at Belfast Magistrates' Court to 240 hours community service plus £947 costs for fraud by false representation.

Admare Jinga who currently lives in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, was charged with fraud by false representation for selling worthless medical devices over the internet that he claimed cured and killed HIV/Aids.

He had previously pleaded guilty to the sale and supply of an unlicensed medicine and he was convicted of the Fraud Act offence at a trial on 11 June 2013.

It is the first ever prosecution of its kind in Northern Ireland, as a result of a joint investigation by officials from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), London and the Medicines Regulatory Group (MRG) from the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) in Belfast.

The machine, which he sold online through his south Belfast based company Savec Health Systems Ltd, was found to be simply a pain relief device which transmitted electric current to stimulate the nerves. The gas that was sold alongside it was flavoured oxygen with a vial supposedly containing nano silver, when in fact it contained only water. Jinga was selling the bogus machine for £149 with the accessories costing £29.99.

MHRA's Director of Devices, John Wilkinson said: "Our investigation revealed that Jinga was purely and simply running a scam over the internet. His machine could not diagnose HIV infection or kill the virus.

"This man is a criminal, not a healthcare professional, and all he wants to do is take money from vulnerable people.

"Cases such as this serve to highlight the dangers associated with purchasing medical devices as well as medicines over the internet.

"If anyone is concerned that they have purchased this machine then please speak to your GP or pharmacist. If people are going to use the internet to obtain a medical device, we urge them to research the company, phone the referees and testimonials, and if possible speak to real people who have purchased the product and are happy with the result."

(CD)