Wokingham borough council’s trading standards officers and the Public Protection Partnership’s case management unit have successfully prosecuted a car boot trader for five offences under section 92(1)(c) of the TradeMarks Act 1994.
On January 23, 2026 at Reading Crown Court, Anthony Paul Maconachie aged 59 of Camberley, in Surrey pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a 12-months’ community order with 80 hours unpaid work, concurrent on each count for five offences under the TradeMarks Act.
On August 11, 2024, trading standards officers attended at a car boot sale at White Horse Lane in Swallowfield and observed that garments bearing a sign identical, or likely to be mistaken for, registered trademarks were being sold.
Officers undertook a test purchase of two of the t-shirts for sale and then seized a further 478 items of suspected counterfeit goods valued at around £12k in accordance with their powers.
A sample of each suspected counterfeit item was then sent to the trademark holder representatives at Tommy Hilfiger, The North Face, Emporio Armani, Adidas and Nike for examination.
Following the examination all the trademark holder representatives confirmed that the goods were counterfeit and confirmed that the defendant had no authority to use or permission to distribute goods bearing their trademarks.
At the hearing it was noted that Mr Maconachie had previously received a warning letter, sent to him in November 2023 by trading standards, informing him that it was an offence to possess or sell counterfeit goods, and reminded him to be vigilant when buying and selling stock.
The judge did not accept Mr Maconachie’s statement that he did not realise he was doing anything wrong as he was no longer selling clothing with counterfeit labels inside the garments.
Councillor Lou Timlin, Wokingham borough council’s executive councillor for community safety and public protection, said: “This sentencing sends a clear message that the sale of counterfeit goods will not be tolerated in Wokingham borough.
“Counterfeit products undermine legitimate businesses, fund criminal activity and can pose real risks to consumers.”
“Our trading standards officers work hard to protect residents and honest traders, and this case demonstrates the importance of taking enforcement action where advice and warnings are ignored.
“We will continue to work with partner agencies and brand holders to disrupt illegal trading and ensure that consumers can shop with confidence.”
The court set a timetable for confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
