A WOMAN who advertised and sold fake goods on Facebook has been ordered to pay over £1,000.
Shannon Louise Sumpton of Simpson Avenue, St Helen Auckland, pleaded guilty to being in possession of counterfeit goods, with the intention selling or distributing, and was charged a total of £1,146.84 at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court.
A warrant was executed at the 22 year-old’s house by Durham County Council’s trading standards team last June and goods bearing names such as Adidas, Nike, Converse, Hugo Boss, Burberry and North Face were discovered in the kitchen.
On further inspection the trainers, tracksuits and children’s clothing were all confirmed to be counterfeit.
Trading standards staff also recovered cash and a mobile phone belonging to the defendant.
Investigations found evidence that Sumpton had been actively involved in the sale of counterfeit clothes and accessories from at least January 2018.
She took orders by advertising on Facebook and sold the goods for profit.
In mitigation, she said she only made a small amount of money for herself and bought items, including extras for her family, from someone in Manchester knowing them to be counterfeit.
Owen Cleugh, Durham County Council’s consumer protection manager, said: “The sale of counterfeit goods can carry a jail sentence of up to ten years, and not only does it deceive customers, everyday it harms legitimate businesses trying to make an honest living.”
Sumpton was fined £160, reduced from £240 in recognition of her early guilty plea, ordered to pay £956.85 in costs and a victim surcharge of £30.
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