Stepney business fined after fake goods seized in raid

Fake electrical cables and earphones which trading standards officers say could be dangerous to use in the home were discovered for sale in Stepney.

A business found to be selling 240 counterfeit Samsung and Apple electrical gadgets worth £4,500 was prosecuted by Tower Hamlets Council after a shopper complained to the town hall about a Samsung charger suspected to be counterfeit.

A raid was carried out at Watney Internet Ltd in Watney Street by council officials with Samsung representatives, in which products were seized that were suspected to be fake.

The items had Apple and Samsung brand markings, but were all found to be counterfeit copies of genuine products, according to the local authority.

Watney Internet Ltd was fined £2,500 when it and its director Jaheeda Khatun pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates Court on June 13 to selling fake Samsung adapters, cables and earphones and Apple cables and earpods.

“Buying fake goods can be dangerous,” Tower Hamlets councillor Kabir Hussain said after the court case. “They will not have undergone the same rigorous testing that manufacturers apply to their products.”

Khatun was given a 12-month conditional discharge, which means she could face a prison sentence if caught committing another similar offence.

Shoppers are now being urged to contact Tower Hamlets trading standards officers if they suspect having bought a product unwittingly that turns out to be a counterfeit copy.