Prosecution highlights safety risks associated with counterfeit products
Shropshire Council’s public protection service is reminding traders and consumers of the risks associated with the sale and purchase of counterfeit goods.
The reminder follows a successful prosecution yesterday (Tuesday 2 April 2013) where Shropshire Council brought a case for breaches of the Trade Marks Act 1994 and the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 against a 31-year-old Shropshire woman, Kelly Marie Stevens, from Longnor near Shrewsbury.
Stevens admitted possessing for supply unsafe and counterfeit goods including GHD hair straighteners and hairdryer, Louis Vuitton handbags, Ugg and Stone Island clothing and Pandora jewellery.
Stevens eventually pleaded guilty to 11 offences, and the Magistrates Court sentenced her to a 20 weeks prison term, suspended for 12 months, 300 hours of unpaid work and ordered her to pay £1,000 towards the prosecution costs.
The case was investigated following a West Mercia Police call out to Caradoc View in Hanwood on 12 October 2011, where a number of people were found gathered around what turned out to be Stevens’ car; the boot was open and contained the unsafe and counterfeit goods. The items were seized by the police and handed to Shropshire Council’s public protection team for further investigation.
Samples of the seized goods were sent to trademark representatives, who all confirmed that the goods bore illegal counterfeit copies of their registered trademarks. In addition, a counterfeit GHD gift set comprising a set of hair straighteners and a hair dryer was tested for safety at an approved test laboratory. As the hair dryer was being tested, it overheated, which resulted in it setting itself on fire.
Public protection officers were particularly concerned that the hair dryer set itself alight whilst being tested. The results of the tests clearly demonstrate that counterfeit electrical items are not manufactured to the same standards as genuine goods, and that the illegal copies represent a very real and significant danger to consumers.
Frances Darling, Shropshire Council’s public protection service manager for safer and stronger communities, said:
“Whilst we have prosecuted in this particular case, ultimately we do not want to take this level of enforcement action against individuals or traders unless it is absolutely necessary. However, we have a duty to protect consumers from unsafe goods and legitimate traders from unfair competition; consequently, we did take the decision to prosecute in this case. I believe the courts have supported the approach we have adopted to deal with the offences that were uncovered, and that the sentence sends a very clear message that we will not tolerate the supply of unsafe counterfeit goods in the county. I hope the result will serve to deter others from following a similar path.”
Frances Darling added:
“This is an excellent result for the public protection team, and illustrates the valuable work that the service performs in protecting the public and the interests of legitimate traders in Shropshire.”
Shropshire Council encourages consumers to contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06 if they have any suspicions that unsafe or counterfeit goods are being sold or supplied in Shropshire. Information can be given anonymously, and will be notified to public protection for intelligence purposes. The information received will always be treated in line with the council’s information governance policies.
Traders can seek advice on steps they can take to ensure goods they sell are safe and genuine by contacting public protection’s business support and locality working team on 0345 678 9000.
