THE TOWN’s magistrates have fined a Birmingham man £2,226 after he pleaded guilty to handling counterfeit branded goods that were found in the back of a van he was driving.
David Dudley, 50, of Flat 1, 145 Circular Road, appeared at the town’s Magistrates Court on December 9, entering a guilty plea to offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994 for possessing counterfeit goods and under the Bail Act 1976 for failing to attend court.
The court heard how Dudley was pulled over on the M5 motorway by police on November 3, 2013 after they saw the van in which he was travelling had a defective rear light.
Officers found counterfeit clothing, metal poles, tarpaulin and signs advertising tracksuits and hoodies for sale inside the vehicle.
They seized 482 fake branded items of clothing, including Polo by Ralph Lauren, Hollister, Superdry, Lacoste and Adidas amongst the trade marks.
The goods were passed to Trading Standards officers from Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) who investigated and brought the prosecution after brand holders estimated the total value of the seized goods, if genuine, would have been around £25,000 to legitimate businesses.
Councillor Bronwen Behan, WRS joint committee chairman, said: “The sale of counterfeit goods doesn’t just provide consumers with sub-standard quality goods, it impacts on legitimate businesses.
“We want to support genuine traders in Worcestershire, especially during tough economic times, and we will not tolerate criminal behaviour.
“With some fakes there are also safety issues so our advice as always is to only buy goods from trustworthy shops and outlets – if the price seems too good to be true, it could be fake.”
