Two market traders have been prosecuted for selling counterfeit designer goods.
An inspection of William Wright and Luke Love’s stall at Worthing market in February 2010 by officers from West Sussex Trading Standards led to the seizure of nearly 500 items suspected of being counterfeit.
Brands the pair were selling included Nike, Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Burberry, Lyle and Scott, Hen- ley, Ecko, Lacoste, Fred Perry and Timberland. Subsequent checks with trademark holders revealed they were fakes.
Both men claimed they thought the goods they were selling were genuine, but admitted that they had not done anything to check whether this was actually the case.
Love, 26, from Maidstone, and Wright, 31, from Strood in Kent, appeared before Chichester Crown Court on January 10, where Love pleaded guilty to three counts of selling counterfeit goods and Wright pleaded guilty to one count of selling and nine counts of possessing counterfeit goods.
Judge Claudia Ackner fined Wright £400 and ordered him to pay £100 costs, in addition to a £15 victim surcharge.
Judge Ackner fined Love £150 and ordered him to pay £100 costs, in addition to a £15 victim surcharge.
Pete Bradbury, cabinet member for public protection, speaking after the case, said: “Selling counterfeit goods will not be tolerated in West Sussex, as this prosecution has shown.
“Anyone who is caught trading in this manner will be pursued through the courts.”
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