A WOMAN who sold almost 10,000 counterfeit items on eBay netting her tens of thousands of pounds has been ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Sharon Proctor, from Worcester, made almost £65,000 in just 18 months after making and selling an array of fake clothing including hooded tops with the JLS logo and t-shirts with the Children In Need logo, Pudsey Bear.
EBay records showed over the short period the 40-year-old has sold 9,592 items with a value of £64,730.
Proctor’s operation came to the attention of Worcestershire Regulatory Services Trading Standards officers who then raided her home which was the hub of the manufacturing operation.
Appearing at Worcester Magistrates Court last Thursday (January 30), Proctor pleaded guilty to five counts of breaching the Trade marks Act 1994.
Alongside her community service she was also ordered to pay £3,000 costs and a victim surcharge £60. When considering sentence the magistrates said that she was only just below the custody threshold.
Coun Lucy Hodgson, regulatory services joint committee chairman, said: “Our Trading Standards officers have shown that illegal activity over the Internet will not be tolerated and they have the expertise to track down sellers and bring them before the courts.
“This is a significant sentence and sends out a serious message to anyone involved in or considering selling counterfeit goods.
“Our officers will continue to make sure that our residents can make their online purchases in confidence.”
