A Co Down woman has admitted possessing and selling hundreds of fake designer handbags.
At Newry Crown Court, Anne Roseleen Darcy (66) entered guilty pleas to 11 charges of having items in breach of registered trademarks and one of selling handbags “which bore a sign identical to, or likely to be mistaken for, a registered trade mark,” all committed at her home on Windsor Bank in Newry on September 1 last year.
She denied two other offences of converting £86,820 cash of criminal property and transferring criminal property, namely bank credits, between January 22 2018 and July 23 last year.
There are various fashion houses named in the trademark offences including Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Givinchy, Prada, Balenciaga and Christian Dior according to a police statement.
When detectives searched Darcy’s home, nearly 500 items of suspected counterfeit designer goods and a BMW car were seized.
None of the alleged facts of the case were opened on Thursday but previous courts heard claims that during the raid, police seized 245 fake designer handbags and with the 66-year-old admitting she makes £200-250 on each bag, “the minimum profit would be £49,000 on that seizure alone".
During an earlier bail variation application, a detective outlined that in addition to a room filled with counterfeit “handbags, belts, shoes and purses,” officers also uncovered £80,000 of diamonds “wrapped in paper” as well as a “diamond grading report” from a business in Dubai dated January 1 2011.
When Darcy was questioned, she made “full admissions” that she had been travelling back and forth to Dubai and also that the items in her house were all fake.
Judge Gordon Kerr KC set the case for trial on December 16 on the two outstanding charges but having heard from prosecuting counsel Malcolm Irvine and defence counsel Kevin Magill, he said he would review the case on September 26.