Newport man convicted of selling counterfeit goods (From South Wales Argus)

Newport man convicted of selling counterfeit goods

7:50pm Monday 26th December 2011 in News

A NEWPORT man convicted of selling £22,000 worth of counterfeit goods online was ordered to pay back almost £20,000.

Richard Stratton, 39, of Llanwern Road, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on December 21 where he was made the subject of a Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation order worth £16,658.59.

He was also fined £1,500, told to pay £1,500 costs and ordered to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work.

Newport’s trading standards team began investigating Stratton in August 2010 when officers discovered a Newport-based eBay seller was advertising what appeared to be counterfeit clothing and handbags.

A Lacoste polo shirt and Juicy Couture handbag were purchased, both of which proved to be counterfeit, and a subsequent raid at Stratton’s home resulted in 43 counterfeit items being seized along with his computer.

A financial investigation into his activities found he had sold products worth around £22,000 through his eBay account.

Stratton pleaded guilty to the Trade Marks Act 1994 offences on the basis he did not know the products were counterfeit, but this was not accepted by the judge.

All the seized items were forfeited for destruction by the court.