A woman from Blaenau Gwent has been prosecuted for selling fake goods on Facebook.

Jessica Chilton, 29, of Brynithel, pleaded guilty on March 14 at Cwmbran Magistrates Court to seven offences under section 92 of The Trade Marks Act 1994 relating to the sale and advertising of counterfeit goods and was later sentenced on March 22 at Newport Magistrates Court.

Prosecutor Hayley Hawkins explained a complaint lodged in October 2022 resulted in an investigation by Blaenau Gwent CBC Trading Standards Service.

The probe revealed she was using her private Facebook page and a group called Affordable brands2 to sell and advertise a range of counterfeit goods.

These included electrical goods, jewellery, earphones, and clothing.

Ms Hawkins told the court that despite having received a prior warning from Trading Standards following a similar complaint made a year before, she continued with her venture.

A warrant was executed on November 3, 2022, at Chilton’s home address where considerable quantities of counterfeit clothing, footwear and handbags were found ready to be sold to customers.

The items were fakes of brands Nike, Adidas, Balenciaga, Under Armour, North Face, Gucci, and Chanel.

Joe Davies, of Driscoll Young Solicitors, who was representing Chilton, said she saw an opportunity on Facebook as a way of making money, a quick scheme to help keep the roof over her head.

He further stated Chilton acknowledged there were more lawful methods to earn an income but didn't appreciate the serious consequences linked with selling counterfeit goods online.

The sentencing Magistrates highlighted the importance of the case, saying the sale of counterfeit items is treated severely when distributed for personal gain as it's vital to protect both the public and manufacturers.

They were firm in their belief that she played a significant role in the distribution of the items and ran the Affordable Brands 2 Facebook page, despite a prior warning from the council.

However, despite the offences passing the custody threshold, the magistrates considered her previous good character and plea at an early stage of the proceedings.

Chilton received a 12-month community order including 160 hours of unpaid work.

In addition, she has to pay a victim surcharge of £114 and contribute £3,000 towards the cost of the investigation.

Selling counterfeit items not only poses unfair competition to genuine businesses but can also harm brand owners leading to potential job losses.

Fake products such as perfumes, jewellery, electrical items, and toys can pose a public safety risk since they are not subjected to rigorous safety checks as genuine items are.

Trading Standards investigations aim to safeguard the public and legitimate businesses by ensuring fake products are removed from shopping sites and culprits are penalised appropriately.