Selling counterfeit goods will not be tolerated – that’s the message from Denbighshire Trading Standards after the sentencing of a man in a counterfeit goods case.
Scott Cooke of Oakville Avenue, Rhyl had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing in Mold Crown Count to several offences contrary to the Fraud Act 2096, the Trade Marks Act 1994 and the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The case brought by Denbighshire County Council was a trading standards trial relating to the defendant selling counterfeit goods including counterfeit Nintendo games, counterfeit clothing and R4 cards (illegal device which is inserted into a Nintendo games console to disable the security measures to allow counterfeit games to be played).
In the sentencing hearing at Chester Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday), Judge Niclas Parry said that this matter was so serious that it crosses the custody threshold. He said it was an offence of academic proportions and imposed a 52 week custodial sentence for each count to run concurrently, suspended for 12 months. The defendant must carry out 300 hours of unpaid work, and in addition he is subject to a curfew for three months.
Judge Parry also commended the thorough investigation carried out by Trading Standards in this case.
Councillor Sharon Frobisher, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: “Our trading standards team works tirelessly to tackle problems with counterfeit goods in our county and I must commend their dedication and tireless work to investigate complaints made by members of the public.
“Selling goods of this kind is not only criminal but is also immoral, as people buying the goods think they are purchasing genuine items. The sentence handed out by the judge in the case does send out a strong message to those dealing in counterfeit goods. The Council will also use its powers to bring those responsible to justice.
“This action also helps to protects the interests of genuine traders by promoting fair competition and growth in the local economy”.
