eBay fraudster is sentenced
A MOTHER-OF-THREE who admitted selling fake designer goods over the Internet has been given a 12-month community order and told to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
Amanda French, of Crawley Crescent, Hampden Park, sold a bra, keyring watch and two pairs of earrings branded with the iconic Playboy logo over eBay to an undercover Trading Standards investigator.
A subsequent raid on French's home led to the seizure of 268 fake items, all branded with the Playboy and Juicy Couture labels and worth an estimated 2,500.
Appearing before magistrates on Wednesday, the 36-year-old admitted three charges of selling goods likely to be mistaken for a registered trade mark and 11 further charges of possessing items likely to be mistaken for a registered trade mark, with a view to selling them.
The court heard Trading Standards investigator David Adams carried out a test purchase on the bra, keyring watch and earrings.
The items were tested and found to be counterfeit, sparking the raid on French's home.
Among the items found were Playboy-branded briefs, belly bars, watches, bracelets and necklaces and Juicy Couture-branded handbag and bikini top and bottoms.
Stuart Grace, defending, insisted French had been duped by a wholesaler who insisted the goods were legitimate.
He said, "This is a matter the defendant wishes had never happened.
"She purchased some items on eBay but found she didn't want them and decided rather than throw them away she would sell them again on eBay.
"She found this very easy to do.
"She then found a supplier who could sell her clothes and other items at a much better price.
"There seemed to be no issue that the goods were counterfeit in her mind.
"She had bought them from a wholesaler who said they were authentic.
"This was not a large-scale operation by any means."
Mr Grace added French had no previous convictions and had fallen victim to a 'degree of naivety'.
Magistrates ordered French to pay Trading Standards costs of 1,530.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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