Haverhill man sentenced for selling fake designer clothes at Suffolk market
More than 750 counterfeit items were seized from a market stall in Bury St Edmunds following a Trading Standards investigation
A man has been sentenced after admitting to selling fake designer clothes at a Suffolk market.
More than 750 counterfeit items were seized from a stall in Bury St Edmunds, run by a 65-year-old trader from Haverhill. The goods included shirts, T-shirts, polo shirts, shorts, underwear and hats carrying brand names such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Gant, Tommy Hilfiger, Fred Perry and Lacoste.
The items had a street value of just over £21,000 and would have been worth more than £61,000 if genuine.
The man, who traded as John’s Menswear, pleaded guilty to five offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994 at Cambridge Crown Court in January 2024.
At a sentencing hearing at the same court on Tuesday, he was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 75 hours of unpaid work.
Recorder H Cohen also granted an order under the Proceeds of Crime Act for Suffolk Trading Standards to investigate how much money the man made from the counterfeit sales.
Suffolk Trading Standards first became aware of the stall in March 2023 after being contacted by a trademark protection company. Officers spoke to the trader and gave advice on how to check if goods were legitimate. He denied the items were fake, saying they were either last season’s stock, second-hand, vintage or refurbished.
Covert test purchases were later carried out and confirmed the clothing was counterfeit, leading to a raid on the stall on 9 August 2023. The man was also found to be advertising fake goods through a Facebook group.
Councillor Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Public Protection, said:
“Not only is counterfeiting an illegal activity, it also takes away custom from legitimate, local, hardworking businesses.”
Graham Crisp, Head of Suffolk Trading Standards, said:
“I would like to praise the Trading Standards team for all their hard work in this case and for bringing this offender to justice.”
Anyone with information about counterfeit goods can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.