Gym boss flogged killer fat-burning pills to fitness fanatics from his garden shed

A MUSCLE-bound gym boss is facing jail for supplying fitness fanatics with potentially deadly fat-burning pills, a court has heard.

Jamie George, 31, was punting 2,4-dinitrophenol - also known as DNP - from this garden shed in Denny, Stirlingshire, even after he’d been warned about the dangers of his iron-pumping plot.

The poisonous slimming drug - used by bodybuilders as a way of stripping fat - has been blamed for at least 33 UK deaths.

George - boss of the Muscle Hut gym in Falkirk - pleaded guilty at Stirling Sheriff Court to culpably and recklessly supplying the toxic chemical.

The tattooed hulk admitted knowing the sinister substance was unsafe, injurious to health and potentially lethal if ingested.

George was nailed after a major criminal probe involving the Food Standards Scotland (FSS), Police Scotland and Falkirk Council.

George admitted supplying the pills over a four year period between May 1, 2017, and October 8, 2021, from three properties in Falkirk including his home address.

His supply network also extended to his Muscle Hut gym in nearby Camelon and elsewhere, according to court papers.

Allegations that he had also supplied steroids, pepticides, insulin, clenbuterol and “other pharmaceutical products” were dropped by prosecutors.

Yesterday Depute Fiscal James Monteith told the court of the Crown’s intention to pursue George under Proceeds of Crime legislation.

Solicitor Gordon Addison, defending, urged the court to defer sentence as he had only been made aware of the cash-grab move “ten minutes earlier”.

Referring to a background report, Sheriff Derek Hamilton noted it lacked “any detail of Mr George’s financial circumstances.”

Mr Addison replied: “It is a very good report. He has never been in trouble before and there is nothing outstanding.

“He has given his full cooperation to the police, prosecution as well as the social work department.”

He said his client’s gym business was “for his future” and that he worked full-time in the IT industry, describing the DNP plot as a “cottage industry in his garden shed” which contributed only a small part to his otherwise legitimate income.

However, Sheriff Hamilton told the court he had significant concerns that George was “not forthcoming with the police”.

He added: “He continued in his activities after he had been told that these pills could have fatal consequences. This is a major concern for me.”

Sheriff Hamilton warned George he could face a “lengthy period” in custody before deferring sentence until July to allow time to clarify his financial situation.

According to Food Standards Scotland, DNP is an industrial chemical popular for people looking to lose eight fast, including bodybuilders and people with eating disorders.

It’s often sold online or via social media as tablets or capsules - but it’s poisonous and can cause blindness, high body temperature and death.

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