Fake Gucci bling lands Surrey Quays trader in prison for eight months
Published 7 February 2011
A trader at Surrey Quays shopping centre has been found guilty of selling fake designer jewellery and sentenced to eight months in prison and ordered to pay costs of £10,000.
Among the 138 items seized by Southwark Council trading standards officers during a routine inspection three years ago, 40 were tested and 36 of these were found to be counterfeit.
Mr. Pak Shing Lam, who is 47 and from East London, was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Friday 4 February after a jury found him guilty of nine separate counts of infringing the Trade Marks Act 1994.
The judge told the court that Mr Lam had been warned several times before but had carried on regardless, and this had contributed to his decision of sentencing him to eight months in prison.
In August 2007 trading standards officers swooped on Mr Lam's stall and seized necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings, bearing the names Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci.
Councillor Richard Livingstone, cabinet member for finance, resources and community safety at Southwark Council, said:
"This case shows that it's simply not worth trying to sell fake goods. Not only is it against the law but it involves deceiving the public and passing off second rate goods as genuine. I would like to see the courts bringing this type of case to a much swifter conclusion to prevent the sale of these types of goods continuing. I'd also like to thank our trading standards team and to warn other traders out there that when it comes to selling dodgey goods to unsuspecting Southwark residents, our promise to prosecute is the real thing."
Background Information
The defendant was a Mr. Pak Shing Lam from Churchill Road , Canning Town , London , E16 3DY.
Of the 138 items seized a total of 40 were tested, and 36 were found to be counterfeit. These included:
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A pendant bearing the 'CC' device of Chanel
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Earrings bearing the ' LV ' mark of Louis Vuitton
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A ring bearing the name of Tiffany & Co
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A bracelet bearing the 'GG' device of Guccio Gucci
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A bracelet bearing the name of Bulgari
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A bracelet bearing the name of Links ( London ) Ltd
The bulk of the fake items were being kept out of sight in a compartment within the stall. Prices for the fake items ranged from £6 to £50.
For more information on the anti-counterfeiting work of the council visit the trading standards pages of the website.
For further details on the anti-counterfeiting group, there is more information on their website.
