A MAN who was imprisoned last year for selling counterfeit watches following a prosecution by North Yorkshire Trading Standards has now been given a further prison sentence for contempt of court.

Warren Chung-Williams, 38, of Saltram Crescent, London, was jailed on Friday for ten months after admitting 11 counts of contempt of court at Teesside Crown Court.

Chung-Williams was originally sentenced in June 2019 to two years six months’ imprisonment, after pleading guilty to selling and having in possession for sale counterfeit watches.

The sales were made through his company, Wristy Business Ltd.

The original investigation by North Yorkshire County Council's Trading Standards had begun after a complaint from a North Yorkshire resident who had bought a watch from the Wristy Business website.

At that time, the court was told Chung-Williams also had previous convictions for theft and fraud relating to credit cards, and Oyster cards.

On his arrest on in April 2018, a restraint order was served on Chung-Williams to preserve his assets pending the final confiscation hearing.

Friday’s hearing was to deal with multiple breaches of the restraint order, which began just an hour after Chung-Williams’ release from custody.

The 11 breaches were discovered by financial investigators at Trading Standards and the North East Regional Economic Crime Unit.

They, included Chung-Williams continuing to sell watches through a new business and moving money into new accounts.

These and other actions meant he was able to use and dissipate £254,594.42, which should have remained restrained.

His Honour Judge Carroll, sentencing Chung-Williams, said: “You showed a complete disregard of the Restraint Order placed upon you.

"This is a genuinely shocking case in how you behaved."

He added: “What you demonstrated was deliberate, determined and devious thwarting of the order and conduct or a pattern of behaviour within an hour, if not less, of receiving the order.

"It was clearly and carefully planned.

"I am told, and I accept, you are an extremely intelligent man. Your behaviour demonstrates significant intelligence.

"But you attached it thoroughly to your dishonest behaviour. You undertook, over an extended period of time, a whole series of actions with the sole purpose of sidestepping the restraint order, to the tune of £254,594.42."

Chung-Williams was also made the subject of a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act today. He was found to have benefited from his original offences by £1.535m and was ordered to repay £37,050.37 within three months. Should he fail to do so, he will face a further 18 months’ imprisonment in default.

Following the hearing, County Councillor Andrew Lee, executive member for trading standards, said: “We have an excellent financial investigations team at trading standards who, working together with the North East Regional Economic Crime Unit, have uncovered the complete disregard this defendant has shown to an order of Teesside Crown Court and the legal process of Proceeds of Crime Act asset confiscation.

"This case should act as a warning to other suspects who think they can behave in this way and avoid detection.”