More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Two market traders who set up a stall at a Sunday boot fair at Leysdown on the Isle of Sheppey to sell fake clothes have been ordered to pay back £136,476 of their illegal gains.
Kent County Council's Trading Standards team went to Maidstone Crown Court to get the order under the Proceeds of Crime Act following successful prosecutions in 2019.
Blaine Boon and Jagdish Naran were earlier sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for 18 months, and given community service orders of 140 hours of unpaid work.
Boon from Luton, Bedfordshire, must pay £79,476 and Naran, from Leicester, must hand over £57,000 within the next three months or the pair face being sent to prison.
It was in April 2017 that undercover officers visited the defendants' large stall which was selling branded clothing, trainers, belts, handbags and sunglasses. An officer bought a pair of Nike trainers for £25 which were later confirmed as counterfeit.
Further visits took place in June 2017 when officers again saw the defendants selling sunglasses, trainers, t-shirts, trousers and shorts from the stall.
On July 9, 2017, a number of Trading Standards officers, Kent Police and members of the Anti-Counterfeiting Group swooped on the stall and seized 1,276 items. On that occasion there was a long table promoting the sale of trainers and other clothing. There were also two full clothes rails. At one end of the table were sunglasses and hats.
Clive Phillips, KCC’s Trading Standards operations manager for complex investigations, said: “The sale of counterfeit goods undermines legitimate businesses and puts money into the pockets of organised criminal groups.
"Where KCC Trading Standards prosecute offenders, we will conduct financial investigations to recoup income that cannot be determined to be from legitimate sources.”
Mike Hill, KCC’s cabinet member for community and regulatory services, said: “This is a positive conclusion to the court proceedings. It shows that, not only will those selling counterfeit goods face prosecution but under the Proceeds of Crime Act they will not be allowed to profit financially from their illegal activities.”
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