A RISCA resident has been fined over £1,000 following a trading standards investigation.

Ryan Thomas Newell, aged 29, who traded as Ryan@PCRepairs of Tredegar Street, Risca, was taken to court after Caerphilly County Borough Council’s trading standards team received a complaint from a resident.

After damaging the screen of her iPhone she took it to Ryan@PCRepairs to have it replaced.

She was told that the replacement screen was a genuine Apple part, and after the screen broke again on a number of occasions, was told that she would have to pay for any future repairs. Upon checking with the official Apple store, the resident was advised that the screen was unlikely to be a genuine Apple product.

As part of their investigation, trading standards purchased a battery and cover for different iPhones from Ryan@PCRepairs and, having sought clarification from Apple, both were found to be counterfeit.

Newell, of Cromwell Road, appeared at Newport Magistrates' Court on December 18, where he pleaded guilty to five offences – two under the Trade Marks Act 1994 and three under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. He was fined a total of £1,025, ordered to pay costs to the council of £998.65 and a victim surcharge of £21. Newell was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to the resident.

Councillor Nigel George, Caerphilly council cabinet member with responsibility for public protection said: “Not only does the sale of counterfeit items affect legitimate manufacturers selling genuine items, but there is also the very real concern of the items being poor quality and a potential safety risk.”

“Counterfeiting is a serious crime which can have a real impact upon our communities, and people should be mindful of the real effects of purchasing counterfeit goods, as such behaviour only continues to fund people that undermine our communities.”