A 47-YEAR-OLD man has escaped jail after he was convicted of selling more than £100,000 of fake car accessories online.
Michael White, from Ballymartin Road, Templepatrick, Co Antrim, ordered counterfeit Ford accessories from China and sold them on eBay.
Police said he sold mud flaps, car mats, covers and other items worth a total of £112,000 from his garage in Templepatrick between January 2012 and January 2016.
He was handed a two-year suspended sentence at Belfast Crown Court after he admitted five charges of selling goods bearing an unauthorised trademark and one charge of converting criminal property.
White was prosecuted after the Ford Motor Company made a complaint to police.
When detectives arrived at White's farmhouse, they found hundreds of Ford accessories stored in his garage.
Temporary Detective Superintendent Gary Reid said: "The market for car products linked to high value brands is substantial. Those who seek to subvert this market by making and selling counterfeit products are putting jobs at risk and reducing legitimate profits. They are also taking money out of the legitimate economy and its tax revenues which pay for public services.
"We remain committed to working with industry to ensure that producers, workers and the public are protected from fraudsters. I would urge anyone with information about the manufacture, distribution or sale of any counterfeit products to contact police."
White now faces confiscation proceedings.
