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Out of pocket: shop owner whose clothes aren't the real McCoy
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard30 May 2008
The owner of a shop called the Real McKoy which sold fake designer clothes has been fined nearly £8,000.
Lambeth trading standards officers seized 47 sacks of counterfeit clothes following a raid on the store in Coldharbour Lane in 2006.
Brands being passed off as originals included Evisu, Sean John, Bathing Ape, G-Unit, Baby Phat, Rocawear, Akademiks and LRG. Now the items - minus their labels - have been sent to a charity in Liberia. Officials also seized 161 illegal pornographic DVDs plus copying equipment. At Tower Bridge magistrates' court this month shopowner Benson Igbokwe was found guilty of eight breaches of the law on trademarks.
He was ordered to pay a total of £7,960 in fines and costs. Robert Gardner, Lambeth trading standards manager, said: "It was more than a little ironic that this shop should be called the Real McKoy. We hope this sends a message to unscrupulous traders that we prosecute those who con the public."
