Weston-super-Mare man sentenced after selling counterfeit music and football shirts online
Investigators found Peter Clanford had sold fake clothing featuring well-known trademarks including The Beatles
A man from Weston-super-Mare has been given a suspended six-month prison sentence after selling counterfeit music and football t-shirts online.
Peter Clanford pleaded guilty at North Somerset Magistrates Court to manufacturing and selling fake clothing featuring a range of well-known trademarks, including those of The Beatles, Metallica and the FA’s famous Three Lions.
Surelock Limited, a brand protection agency, discovered hundreds of Mr Clanford's replica t-shirts being sold on eBay.
North Somerset Council's Trading Standards service expanded the investigation and identified similar activities on various online platforms including Etsy and Clanford's own website, revealing he earned approximately £26,000 from counterfeit sales over a nine-month period.
A search of Clanford's home, uncovered a sophisticated, high‑end printing operation used to manufacture the fake t-shirts.
Officers seized printing equipment, computers and clothing during the search.
Official suppliers to the music and football industries also helped with the investigation, confirming in every case that the items were counterfeit.
Mr Clanford pleaded guilty to four counts of unauthorised manufacture, possession, and distribution of trademarks.
He received a sentence of six month in prison, suspended for two years and was ordered to pay £8,767 in prosecution costs.
Councillor James Clayton, North Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services, Sport and Pride in Place programme, said:
“We want our communities to be caring, healthy, and safe.
"Our Trading Standards officers uncovered a complex counterfeiting operation specifically designed to defraud legitimate trademark holders and mislead consumers by selling cheap, unlicensed copies."
Jake Alford, Brand Protection Manager at Surelock International Limited said:
“We and our clients in the music industry are extremely grateful for the professionalism and hard work of North Somerset Council’s Trading Standards service.
“This operator was mass-selling counterfeits of our clients’ merchandise across multiple platforms.
"On the day of enforcement, officers discovered a highly sophisticated setup which enabled the operator to manufacture to order and sell globally. We are very pleased that all the hard work put into this case has achieved such a positive result.”