April 20, 2018 2.02 pm This story is over 70 months old

Skegness stallholder jailed for selling counterfeit clothing

Money from fake goods often goes towards funding serious organised crime.

A Skegness stallholder is beginning a six-month jail sentence after being found guilty at Lincoln Crown Court of selling counterfeit clothing.

Samples of the clothing found were sent to trade mark representatives, who confirmed the items as being counterfeit.

Ranbir Singh Dhanoa, 69, was charged with 10 counts of contravention of the Trade Marks Act 1994 and one charge of possession of criminal property.

Following a three-day trial, he was found guilty of all charges by a majority verdict and was ordered to pay £11,862.86 in costs which must be paid within the next 12 months.

Dhanoa claimed to have given notice on the stall and had removed his stock prior to the discovery of the counterfeit items.

Senior Trading Standards officer Kirsty Toyne said: “Selling fake goods is a serious crime and one we do everything in our power to stop.

“Many people think the trade of counterfeit goods is a victimless crime but that is not the case. Counterfeit goods can often pose a real risk to human safety and they always have a negative effect on genuine businesses.

“But what is not widely known is the money generated in the background from this illegal trade all too often goes towards funding serious organised crime.

“No honest person would ever hand over money to people who deal in drugs, guns, people trafficking or terrorism. But increasingly, this is exactly where money generated by these activities is ending up.”

The court ordered the forfeiture and disposal of the items discovered at the direction of Trading Standards.