Firm found stuffed with fake goods after customer suffers electric shock from fairly lights

When trading standards officers raided the premises it was stuffed to the rafters with hooky goods. There were 10,000 counterfeit vaping liquids, 9,000 fake Apple phone accessories, and 800 dangerous Christmas fairy lights, some with bare wires exposed and two pin, unearthed plugs, and 400 counterfeit games and toys.

An investigation had been triggered after a customer suffered an electric shock from fairy lights he had bought. In total 24,000 non-compliant items were seized from Aulola UK Ltd, based in Broughton Lane, Salford, over ten months.

At court a representative of the firm suggested they should get a formal caution -instead they have been hit with a £46,500 fine for putting consumers at risk, and goods worth a quarter of a million pounds seized.

The company operated as an importer, producer, distributor and a fulfilment house. Magistrates were told that the company, which claimed it was just a fulfilment house, distributing goods on behalf of other businesses, did not know what it was distributing, failed in its legal responsibilities to ensure the goods were legal and safe and negligent when it came to public safety.

A company representative suggested the firm should be offered a formal caution to avoid the risk of the company going into bankruptcy. They said the company would ‘galvanise’ itself into more strict due diligence, and change the business model to comply with the law and protect consumer safety.

At Manchester and Salford Magistrates court, a representative of the company pleaded guilty to 18 offences relating to two offences of applying trade marks without consent and eight offences for possessing counterfeit goods, contrary to the Trade Marks Act 1994. The company was also found guilty of eight