A trader who sold dangerous counterfeit mobile phone accessories has been sentenced to one year behind bars.

Shahid Said, director of Platinum Connect Ltd and Platinum Electronics Ltd, based in Edgware, was convicted at Harrow Crown Court for selling fake goods and electrical equipment that breached health and safety regulations.

An investigation by Brent and Harrow Trading Standards spanning for several years, found that some products could have caused an electric shock.

The companies were fined £10,000 and Mr Said was asked to pay back £21,788.41 under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

David Thrale, head of regulatory services at Brent Council said: “The Trading Standards team did a brilliant job over a number of years to ensure that consumers were protected from the potentially dangerous goods that Mr Said’s companies were selling.

“Consumers should always be suspicious when they see exclusive brands at such discounted prices and report anything suspicious to Trading Standards.

“Vendors should be aware that Trading Standards conduct market surveillance into unsafe products and will take any issues of non-compliance seriously”.