The South Glos Post

A South Gloucestershire market trader has been handed a 12 week curfew order after his stall was found stocked with 255 items of counterfeit clothing, including copies of brands like Bench, Henleys and Adidas.

Amarjit Singh, 18, of Sutherland Avenue, Downend, appeared before Northavon Magistrates on Tuesday 18th January and pleaded guilty to 14 charges of possessing counterfeit goods for sale under the Trade Marks Act 1994. His sentence requires him to stay at home between the hours of 7am and 7pm on Saturdays and Sundays for the next three months. In addition he was ordered to pay £250 in prosecution costs.

The case was brought by South Gloucestershire Trading Standards after they identified a number of stallholders trading illegally at a Saturday market held in Filton. In December 2009 Trading Standards, along with police and clothing industry representatives raided the market and suspected offenders were arrested.

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council

Three stores sold alcohol to under-18s in a test-purchase operation run by police and South Gloucestershire Trading Standards.

Two clearly under-age girls tried to buy alcohol in eight off licences and convenience stores in Downend, Kingswood, Mangotsfield and Warmley in the operation on Friday 5th November 2010.

The teenage volunteers were able to buy alcohol in two Kingswood stores and one in Downend. The workers who made the sale were given an £80 on-the-spot fine.

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Source: Avon and Somerset Police

A 23-year-old man from Emersons Green has been fined for wasting police time after falsely claiming to have been robbed.

The student told police he was robbed of his wallet in Badminton Road, Downend early one August morning.

Detectives carried out their usual thorough investigation, including checking CCTV in the area, and found inconsistencies in what he had told them.

The man was then arrested and interviewed by police, who subsequently gave him an £80 on-the-spot fine for wasting police time.

South Gloucestershire DI Jill Kells said: “Making a false allegation to the police is a serious offence, which takes up officers’ time when they could be investigating genuine crimes and bringing offenders to justice.

“Robbery is a serious crime, distressing for victims and we are committed to a thorough investigation of every report. Any allegations of crime which are shown to be false will result in arrest and could lead to a fine or even a court appearance.”

Source: Avon and Somerset Police

A Downend man has pleaded guilty to 20 charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994, involving the sale of counterfeit clothing at a market held at Filton recreation ground.

Luckwinder Singh, 22, of Badminton Road, Downend, appeared at Northavon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 5th October and admitted possessing fake clothing for sale. He also asked the court to take into consideration a further 24 similar offences.

Singh was sentenced to a four month community order, was ordered to pay full costs of £2924.62 and a forfeiture order was also made for his vehicle and all of the counterfeit stock.

The community order was in the form of a curfew that restricts Singh from leaving his home between the hours of 7pm and 6am, seven days a week, for a period of four months.

The prosecution was brought by South Gloucestershire trading standards after investigations identified Singh’s illegal activities at Filton market. In December 2009 officers from trading standards and Avon and Somerset Police raided the market, where Singh was arrested and a large number of counterfeit items were seized from his stall and his vehicle. The vehicle, a Mercedes Sprinter used by Singh to operate his counterfeiting enterprise was also seized at the time. A warrant was later executed at Singh’s home address where further counterfeit items were seized.

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council