And this week he has paid the price after a visit to Medway Magistrates’ court where he received a suspended sentence.
In November 2022, Kent County Council Trading Standards seized more than 1,500 counterfeit items from Omex London, a store in Cannon Street in Dover.
In total, 22 different brands had been imitated including Chanel, Versace, Gucci and Louis Vuitton items.
On Tuesday this week Ramesh Lal Bansal appeared in Medway Magistrates Court. He pleaded guilty to 17 Trade Marks Act offences and received a 26-week suspended sentence. The bench also ordered him to pay £10,000 costs and a £154 surcharge, which is used to fund victim services through the Victim and Witness General Fund.
Bansal, of Headley Drive in Ilford, had given assurances to the Chanel brand in early 2022 that he would stop selling counterfeit products, but undercover visits in May and again September of that year by the local Trading Standards team, saw evidence to suggest Bansal had no intention of ceasing the sale of fake goods.
This led to the Trading Standards enforcement visit in November 2022.
Clive Phillips, Operations Manager for Kent County Council Trading Standards, said: “Bansal was given every opportunity to halt the sale of these inferior, fake goods. He decided to ignore the advice of brand representatives and renege on promises he made. Counterfeiting undermines local legitimate trade and funds serious and organised crime. In some cases, the items can also prove to be unsafe. Where individuals choose to knowingly ignore the law, we have no other option but to prosecute.”
If any members of the public are concerned about counterfeit goods, you they can report it to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133, who share information and intelligence with local Trading Standards teams.
Further information
- Counterfeiting is not a victimless crime. The Victim Surcharge was introduced in 2007 for only those who received a fine. It has since then been expanded to apply to all sentences offenders receive from the courts, the amount varying depending on the severity of the sentence and the age of the offender. Its purpose is to ensure that offenders hold some responsibility towards the cost of supporting victims and witnesses. Income from the victims' surcharge contributes to the Ministry of Justice’s Victim and Witness Budget. The Budget grant funds Police and Crime Commissioners who commission local support services for victims in their communities. It also funds nationally commissioned support such as 94 rape support centres across England and Wales.
