Jail for eBay designer goods scam

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A 38-year-old former town councillor has been jailed for six months after admitting selling fake designer clothes on internet auction site eBay.

Richard Burge, from Penmaenmawr, Conwy, resigned his council position after he was charged, Mold Crown Court heard.

Burge was caught selling fake Armani jeans, and was in possession of clothes potentially worth more than £7,000.

He admitted eight trademark offences, one trade description offence, and 78 others were taken into consideration.

At Mold Crown Court, judge John Rogers QC said prison was "inevitable".

The court heard how Burge started selling legitimate goods to boost his income.

Warrant

But the scam "snowballed" and when a trading standards official from Conwy Council made a test purchase, a pair of Armani jeans turned out to be counterfeit.

A search warrant was executed and Burge - who sold under the name "Platinum Chappie" - was found to be in possession of goods which, if genuine, would have been worth more than £7,000.

Burge sold under the name "Platinum Chappie"

Judge John Rogers QC said that the court had a duty to pass deterrent sentences in such cases.

He added: "You set up a business to sell goods on the Internet auction site eBay.

"In November of last year, you sold items which bore a false trademark.

"As a result, trading standards officer visited your premises on 1 March this year and there they found no fewer than 85 items which bore a false trademark."

He added: "It follows that the duty of the court is to impose deterrent sentences in order to protect the owners of trademarks and to protect the public."

The judge said he had taken into consideration Burge's early guilty plea and his previous good character.

The court heard how Burge was a former estate agent who had also worked in the housing section of Gwynedd Council and was a former employee of Conwy Council.

Sion ap Mihangel, defending, said Burge ended the eBay operation before Conwy Council launched its investigation.