A father and son from Wembley who sold fake One Direction memorabilia to pop fans over the internet have been given suspended jail sentence.
Nikhil Kumar Talati, 62, and 29-year-old Krunal, sold counterfeit mobile phone cases, mugs, key rings, and other branded items featuring the boy band on eBay for nearly two years.
The pair also sold counterfeit goods featuring other themes such as video game Angry Birds on the online marketplace site.
When officers from Brent Council’s Trading Standards raided their home, following a complaint from an unhappy customer, they seized more than 8,000 counterfeit items.
At Harrow Crown Court they were both found guilty of 23 counts of selling counterfeit goods and sentenced to nine weeks in jail suspended for 15 months.
They must also carry out 160 hours community service each and Talati senior was additionally ordered to pay £9,000 costs.
Cllr James Denselow, Brent Council’s cabinet member responsible for trading standards, said: “Consumers expect an assurance of high quality when they buy branded products and the sale of counterfeit goods not only deprives them of that assurance, it also deprives companies of income which would lawfully be theirs.
“The outcome of this case serves as a warning to others considering selling counterfeit goods in Brent, be it in shops, on stalls, on the streets or online, that crime simply doesn’t pay. Brent’s Trading Standards Team can and will catch you wherever you are.”
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