A Port Talbot man who was caught selling and being in possession of fake designer clothes, with an estimated value of hundreds of thousands of pounds, has been jailed for a year.
On April 8th 2010 Paul Marquand Paget was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court having pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to selling and possessing counterfeit goods, including sportswear and designer clothes.
His Honour, Judge N Parry, was told by prosecuting barrister Ben Blakemore that an exact cost of the fraud could not be given, but estimated that the goods were potentially worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Neath Port Talbot Council’s Trading Standards Department brought the prosecution against the 40-year-old from Dinas Baglan Road, Port Talbot, after being alerted to the scam by a complaint from a member of the public and brand owners.
Trading Standards officers raided his home and business premises on four separate occasions between 2006 – 2008.
Mr Blakemore said that despite being questioned for the first offence in 2006, it had taken the authority some time to bring the cases before magistrates because Paget continued to re-offend.
He said: “The defendant carried on regardless.”
Defence barrister Paul Hobson recognised that his client had carried on selling fake goods, despite being questioned by Trading Standards officers.
In mitigation he told the court: “The Defendant however, following seizure was under great financial strain and simply buried his head in the stand rather than face up to his problems.”
Sentencing Paget to 12-months Judge Parry said: “Over a period of time, you operated large scale operations that involved the unauthorised use of a number of trademarks. The loss is potentially in the hundreds of thousands and therefore this is a serious example of offending. Your behaviour could cause a major impact on businesses and therefore could affect employment. You also defrauded the public.
“Your determined and persistent re offending is inconceivable and that you attempted to defraud the public. Custody therefore is justified.”
Credit was given for an early guilty plea and the defendant’s character. Therefore a potential sentence of 21 months was reduced to 12 months.
Principal Trading Standards Officer Steve Adie said this sentence sends out a clear message.
“Neath Port Talbot Council will use the full force of the law to bring sellers of fake goods to justice,” he said. “Selling counterfeit goods can affect local businesses, who trade within the law.
“Fake goods are not only poorly made, but in some cases can be dangerous and consumers should always ensure they buy from a reputable trader.”
Mr Adie added: “With permission from the manufacturers affected in the case, we will be distributing these clothes and trainers to charitable causes.”
