John Cooper, of Rowan Close, Haverhill, sentenced after admitting trying to sell fake designer clothes on Bury St Edmunds market
A town market trader has been sentenced after admitting trying to flog £21,000 of fake designer clothes.
John Cooper, 65, of Rowan Close, Haverhill, was handed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday, as well as being ordered to complete 75 hours of unpaid work.
The sentence stemmed from an investigation by Suffolk Trading Standards into Cooper’s stall at Bury St Edmunds market, John’s Menswear, in August 2023.
He had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of unauthorised use of trademark in relation to goods at a hearing in the same court in January 2024.
He was also sentenced for one count of possession of goods with a false trademark for sale, while one of the unauthorised use charges was left to lie on file.
Investigators seized 768 items of clothing from the stall, including t-shirts, polo shirts, shorts, underwear and hats purportedly from brands Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Gant, Tommy Hilfiger, Fred Perry and Lacoste, with an estimated street value of £21,171.16.
The equivalent value of the goods, if they were genuine, was £61,589.81.
Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council cabinet member for public health and protection, said: “Not only is counterfeiting an illegal activity, it also takes away custom from legitimate, local, hardworking businesses.
“Counterfeit goods may appear to be a cheap alternative, but they are, by their very nature, inferior products and anyone involved in counterfeiting in Suffolk should expect a visit, loss of the goods they have purchased and potential legal action.”
Cooper’s stall came under the radar in March 2023, when trademark representative React Services UK raised the alarm.
Trading Standards contacted Cooper, who denied his goods were fake, claiming they were a mix of the previous season’s stock as well as second hand, vintage and refurb stock.
Covert test purchases of the clothing were carried out which were confirmed to be counterfeit, which resulted in a raid on August 9, 2023.
Further investigations found Cooper was also advertising the fake goods from a Facebook Group.
Graham Crisp, head of Suffolk Trading Standards, said: “I would like to praise the Trading Standards team for all their hard work in this case and for bringing this offender to justice.
“I would like to thank React Services UK Limited for their assistance in the investigation, providing us with vital witness statements and I also offer my thanks to Suffolk Police for their support during the seizure of the goods.”
