A Harrietsham businessman, who masterminded the sale of fake goods “on an industrial scale” – has been sent to prison.

Darren Hilton, 43, his partner Sharon Marlow, 36, and three others are believed to have pocketed more than £115,000 in profits from their racket.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how the group – selling on ‘Facebay’ under the names ‘Lisas Goodies’ and Becky Goodies – traded branded items from Jimmy Choo and Ralph Lauren - all counterfeits imported from China.

Hilton and Marlow, from Hogbarn Lane, Harrietsham worked the Kent patch with Hilton’s brother Dean, 48, from Haywood Avenue, Minster on Sea.

The Essex patch was worked by Sheerness couple, mum-of-three Linda Prime, 31, and husband Trevor, 39, who each received suspended sentences last year after admitting conspiracy to breach the Trade Marks Act.

Prosecutor James Dennison told Judge Nigel Van Der Bijl that ‘Facebay’ were local Internet sites which merged Facebook with on-line auction site Ebay.

“In essence, ‘Facebay’ sites are local sites which permit people to sell and buy products. They are not auction site and thus the seller is able to market a particular item at a particular price – and the buyer is free to accept or reject that price, “ he added.

The counterfeit gang sold fake handbags, scarves, sunglasses, wallets and watches over an extended period.

“In a nutshell, the Crown’s case is that the defendants have been engaged, on an industrial scale, selling fake or counterfeit items over a long period of time and have then used their bank accounts to launder the proceeds of their transactions.”

He said that Dean Hilton was the delivery driver who rented storage at Warden Bay Road, Isle of Sheppey. Marlow had also rented storage from Straddlebrook Park in Sheerness.

When homes and storage units were raided, officers discovered £3,800 in cash and 17,000 items - 98% of which were fakes.

Mr Dennison added that among items seized were counterfeit cosmetics which were then analysed and revealed “excessively high concentration of lead”..which he said brought “the commensurate risk to public health.”

The prosecutor added: “It is one thing for a person to buy fake branded lipstick, but when that lipstick is potentially harmful to them, then is can rightly be said to have made matters worse.

The prosecutor said that Hilton and Marlow fell out with the Primes over allegations they were undercutting their prices.

Marlow texted Linda Prime: “Always the same story, people sh*****g on us, we was warned about you’s but we did ignore them, now this (sic).

“Not going to fall out with you about this, you do your thing and we’ll do ours, can you remove all our pictures of (sic) your facebook and we won’t have no associations to do with each other on there..thought you 2 was good friends. Moving my unit once again as people who I thought I could trust I no longer can.”

Darren Hilton was jailed for nine months and Marlow and Dean Hilton each received six month jail sentences suspended for two years.

They had admitted a variety of charges relating to the Trade Marks Act, possessing products containing banned substances and converting criminal property.

All five now face a financial investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act.