A market trader has been ordered to pay a £40,410 confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and sentenced to 100 hours unpaid work after he was found guilty of selling fake designer clothes, following a prosecution brought by Hackney Council.

Trading standards officers seized more than 1,000 counterfeit items in one of the largest seizures of its type ever found in the borough.

Gary Lucy, aged 58, of Forest Edge, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 12 August 2011. He was ordered to pay court costs of £8,000 to Hackney Council and was also ordered to pay a £40,410 confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and if he defaults on this payment he will be subject to 16 months custody. The judge also imposed a community order with 100 hours unpaid work requirement to be completed within 12 months - concurrent on each count.

Lucy was found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 1 July 2011 after the goods were discovered on his stall at Ridley Road Market and in a storage unit on Birbeck Mews. The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on 16 counts brought against Lucy under the Trade Marks Act 1994 Section 92 1 (b) (c).

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: “The Council is committed to protecting the consumer rights of residents, and to ensuring they get a fair deal. This case sends a warning to traders that counterfeit goods are illegal, unsafe and will not be tolerated in Hackney.”

The haul of counterfeit goods included:
Schott Jackets
Stone Island Jackets & Jerseys
Nike Tracksuits
Ed Hardy T/ Shirts
True Religion Jeans
Polo Ralph Lauren Tracksuits and Rugby Shirts
Lacoste Tracksuits
Franklin & Marshall T/Shirts
Dolce & Gabbana Jeans
Calvin Klein underwear

The clothes were found to be counterfeit after trading standards sent them to the trademark holders for examination.