Supplier of fake Apple accessories ordered to pay additional Proceeds of Crime costs

Cheshire West and Chester Trading Standards prosecuted Andrew Peter Twigg (36) of Twigg Tech Limited in Northwich and his company Twigg Tech Limited, after an undercover test purchase was made by investigators in relation to the sale of counterfeit Apple accessories sold online.

Mr Twigg, a Northwich tech company director received a two-year suspended sentence, 250 hours of unpaid work and his company was fined a total of £113,000.

At a Proceeds from Crime hearing at Chester Crown Court on Friday 29 July Mr Twigg was ordered to pay an additional £45,035.53 with three months to pay, failure to pay will result in 12 months imprisonment.  Prosecution costs of £11,296.50 are also to be paid within three months.

Between October 2015 and October 2018, the company had a turnover in excess of £960,000. The declared taxable profit over that three-year period was over £108,000. The prosecution case was that a significant proportion of items sold by the company were counterfeit, with unauthorised Apple logos on them.

During a search of the defendant’s home carried out by police and trading standards in April 2019, 5,147 items were seized of which just under 95 per cent (4,876) were found to be counterfeit.

Councillor Louise Gittins. Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said: “Our Trading Standards Team will take action against anyone found selling counterfeit products in our borough.

“Please report any items you believe to be fake, whilst these goods will be cheaper than the legitimate product they are likely to be inferior products that could also be unsafe.”