On the 25th May 2024, a confiscation order was made for £118,235.00 against Mr Sajid HUSSAIN following a previous conviction for selling counterfeit clothing using social media pages as a platform to sell to consumers across the country. The benefit from the offending was agreed as £332,907.67 the £118,235.00 figure is made up of money in his  bank accounts totalling £7,709.43, with the remaining £110,525.57 being tainted gifts and hidden assets which he still has to repay otherwise he will be ordered to serve a custodial sentence.

Mr HUSSAIN, from Bradford,  pleaded guilty in April 2022 and was sentenced in May 2022 to a 12 month community order and also ordered to complete 150 hours unpaid work after being prosecuted by West Yorkshire Trading Standards for the supply of counterfeit clothing. 

Test purchases were conducted in June 2019 by brand holders of a Manchester United kit, which were found to be counterfeit. In August 2019, West Yorkshire Trading Standards received a package from Leeds Bradford International Airport, intended for the defendant, containing 39 counterfeit items. Investigations revealed that Sajid Hussain’s PayPal account had total sales of £161,000.00 between January 2017 and August 2019. A linked eBay account was also located with trademarked items listed as having been sold.

West Yorkshire Trading Standards, along with police and brand protection officers from Nike and Adidas, executed a warrant in January 2020 at the home address of the defendant, and counterfeit items were seized. Financial enquiries uncovered evidence of the sale of counterfeit items through the defendant’s personal bank accounts.

Sajid Hussain pleaded guilty to 26 counts of unauthorised possession and distribution of trademarks and was sentenced in May 2022.

Linda Davis, West Yorkshire Trading Standards Manager said, “The Proceeds of Crime Act allows us to recoup a criminal’s benefit from crime via confiscation orders, and we will pursue and recover assets of those involved in this type of offending, ensuring they cannot use their ill-gotten gains to further their illegal enterprises.”

If you need to report a trader selling suspected counterfeit goods please contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline: 0808 223 1133 anonymously.