Mohammed Sarwar and Jumanah Nadeem cost the clothing industry an estimated £84,000 by selling counterfeit clothes in their Dewsbury shops, Miss Chief and Labels For Less.
Leeds Crown Court heard how Sarwar held leases for both Foundry Street shops, which West Yorkshire Trading Standards visited in December 2009, the Dewsbury Reporter revealed this morning.
Prosecutor Howard Shaw said officers saw counterfeit clothes on sale in both shops and found flyers bearing brand trademarks.
During a second visit, they found the upstairs shop had closed but was being used to store around 200 items of counterfeit clothing with trademarks of brands including Adidas, G-Star, Henleys and Bench.
Mr Shaw said Sarwar admitted 10 counterfeiting offences on the basis that the leaflets had been left behind the counter and the shop upstairs was rented to another man whose items he later sold.
SUBSERVIENT
He said Nadeem pleaded guilty on the basis that her husband handled all the finances and she was subservient to him.
The court heard Kirklees Council officers found 38-year-old Sarwar had lied in a mortgage application for the couple’s home in Millwater Avenue, Thornhill Lees, in March 2004. He claimed earnings of £49,000 when his true income was £14,800.
In 2006, both defendants lied about their incomes in an application to remortgage the house. Nadeem, 32, claimed to be earning but was actually receiving benefits.
Sarwar admitted two counts of obtaining property by deception and Nadeem was found guilty of one count at trial.
Sentencing last Friday, Judge James Spencer QC said: “To offend in this way cannot be overlooked.”
Sarwar received a 51-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months with 200 hours unpaid work. Nadeem was given a community order with 60 hours unpaid work. An application to seize proceeds of their crimes will be held in April.
