Fraudster told to pay £250k or face jail

A WEMBLEY market trader who sold fake trainers must pay back more than £250,000 in six months or face jail.

Nazakat Hussain owned three houses, a convertible BMW 6 Series and had thousands of pounds stashed in various bank accounts after profiting from the sale of fake goods.

Last year a court heard how Hussain, of Hospital Street, Walsall, made about £600,000 from selling counterfeit goods, including knock-off Nike trainers, from numerous stalls in Wembley Market.

Trading Standards busted Hussain after raiding the market with police. He was caught selling the goods and found guilty on June 16 last year.

But Trading Standards have now used the Proceeds of Crime Act, which came into force to strip criminals of their ill-gotten gains, to expose Mr Hussain's finances.

All his assets, including his BMW, have been seized to prevent him from fleeing with them.

A confiscation order was made on Monday, August 23 at Inner London Crown Court, where Judge Chapple gave the 36-year-old six months to pay £254,000 or be sent to jail for three years.

He faces selling his assets in order to pay the order.

If he serves a term in prison for not paying the money, he will still owe the full amount. Any outstanding balance after the six months deadline will accumulate interest.

Over the past two years Brent and Harrow Trading Standards have secured seven other confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 against individuals associated with the supply of counterfeit goods and clocked cars. Those seven orders amounted to £258,573.

Speaking after the case, Bill Bilon, head of Brent and Harrow Trading Standards, said: "I hope that this case sends out a clear message that trading in counterfeit goods really doesn't pay.

"Those engaged in the sale of counterfeit goods, or indeed involved in high value crime, will not just get a criminal record but they may also face being stripped of their assets.

"The Proceeds of Crime Act is a powerful piece of legislation and we will continue to use it to deprive those who choose to act in a criminal manner."