Man sold fake football shirts on eBay

Date published: 26 October 2011

A Radcliffe man has received a suspended custodial sentence after admitting selling counterfeit football shirts on eBay.

Peter David Cosgrove was found to have counterfeit shirts from Premier League, national and foreign football clubs. He had been sourcing the shirts from a supplier in the Far East and selling them through an eBay account to unsuspecting members of the public.

During the investigation it became apparent that Cosgrove had purchased authentic shirts from legitimate retailers and sent them to the Far East so that they could be copied.

Cosgrove pleaded guilty to 12 charges at Bolton Crown Court and was given a three-month custodial sentence, suspended for six months. He was also ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £3,030.14. A confiscation and destruction order was also granted for the shirts and associated articles seized.

Peter Jagger, head of trading standards at Bury Council, said: “Counterfeiting deprives genuine companies of millions of pounds every year. It’s not OK to turn a blind eye to the occasional person selling fake goods – this affects people’s livelihoods and the reputations of decent honest businesses who have built up their brands over many years. It is our priority to keep Bury a decent place to live and work and counterfeiting will not be tolerated.”