Owner of Yorkshire mobile phone shop in council-run business centre admits selling fake Samsung handsets, earphones and chargers

Batley Enterprise Centre tenant Hama Amin Wahab Zahid, of Fartown in Huddersfield, committed the offences while running Fone Den Plus Ltd. This week he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates Court for sentencing.

He pleaded guilty to five charges relating to counterfeit goods seized as part of a West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service investigation.

His stock included 27 Samsung-branded travel adaptors, 214 pairs of earphones, 119 phone backs and 109 screens; and 21 Apple-branded leather cases. All were found to bear fake trademarks.

He was fined £3,333 with costs of £1,748, having already been given a 12-month community order and 40 hours of unpaid work for two other offences.

The phone shop was raided in September 2021, when 58 bags of evidence were removed.

At the hearing, magistrates stated that counterfeit electronic goods had not been put through rigorous product testing to meet safety standards.

Coun Habiban Zaman from Kirklees Council said: “Sales of counterfeit goods of this type pose serious risks to the community. Counterfeiting is not a victimless crime, it takes money from the legitimate economy, and places it in the shadow economy, and rips off consumers and honest businesses.”

Trading Standards business team manager David Strover added: “This operation is part of ongoing activities to marginalise the supply of counterfeit electrical goods in West Yorkshire. We are always concerned about the supply of counterfeit goods, but it is especially concerning where electrical items, toys, cosmetics and food are involved, as the relevant safety regulations are often totally ignored.”