AN EBAY trader has been left more than £9,000 out of pocket after pleading guilty to selling dodgy make-up and a watch on the online auction site.

Anne Le Bron, who traded under the name LeBron_Bons, confessed to buying Chinese counterfeit goods and passing them off as genuine Yves Saint Laurent, Ed Hardy, Mac and Benefit goods.

The 56-year-old, of Thornwood Avenue, Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, pleaded guilty to six test cases of copyright infringement when she appeared at Teesside Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Magistrates heard how the businesswoman began selling the counterfeit goods in a bid to recoup losses from another failed enterprise.

Penny Bottomley, prosecuting on behalf of Stockton Borough Council, said it received information Le Bron was selling fake goods on eBay and when trading standards officers searched her home they found boxes of fake goods.

Le Bron was fully compliant throughout the investigation and pleaded guilty to six copyright breaches following negotiations between the council and her solicitor.

James Kemp, mitigating, said: "There was no intent to deceive any members of the public, there has been no complaints from anyone who bought the items from eBay."

Following her guilty plea, magistrates called for a probation report to be carried out before passing sentence.

After a short adjournment, the court heard Le Bron had no previous convictions and recommended a financial penalty be imposed.

The report's author added: "She has shown some forward thinking in these offences, there was a gap in her finances when the company went into liquidation, but this was completely out of character."

Mr Kemp urged the magistrates' to follow the recommendation of the probation service.

He said: "This has been a salutory lesson to her and she will not darken your doors again. I urge you to hit her in the pocket where it will really hurt."

Chairman of the bench, Dr Mohammed Nazaryl Imam fined Le Bron £3,500, ordered her to pay £5,133.60 towards court costs and a £350 victim surcharge. He also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the counterfeit goods.