Louis Vuitton and Tiffany counterfeiters escape prison

2015/04/17

Two men who sold thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit goods, including imitations of luxury brands, have escaped prison.

The men, based near Bristol in the UK, were handed a suspended jail term and a community order after police and Trading Standards officials uncovered a haul of up to 10,000 items.

Luxury brands including jewellery maker Tiffany & Co and French fashion house Louis Vuitton were among the high-end names counterfeited.

Had they been genuine, the total products would have had an estimated retail value of £270,000 ($396,000).

In 2012, officers from the South West Trading Standards Regional Enforcement Team (SWRET) assisted police with searching two business units at an address in Weston-super-Mare before uncovering the stash.

On Monday (April 13) Darren Ward and Tim Tivney were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court. Ward was sentenced to 13 months, suspended for two years. Tivney was given a 12-month community order and told to do 80 hours’ unpaid work.

John Jacobs, from SWRET, said counterfeiting was not a victimless crime.

“You’re getting the goods cheap but you’re not getting the quality,” he said.

“Because the brand owners are losing money to counterfeiting, the price goes onto the consumer so you do pay more in the end.”

(Source: WIPR)