Lancashire mum jailed for selling £500k in counterfeit designer goods

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 10:49 · Archive

A 49-year-old mother has been jailed for four years and four months after selling almost £500,000 worth of counterfeit designer items on Facebook.

Barbara Murphy, from Banksbarn in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, sold almost £500,000 worth of counterfeit designer goods through a Facebook account over nearly four years. The 49-year-old mum-of-two used the platform as a 'shopping channel', offering fake items from brands including Moncler, Armani, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Cartier at approximately half their retail price. She also sold fake Nike trainers, Ugg boots and counterfeit Premier League football jerseys.

The items were professionally presented on the Facebook page called 'Barbie Murphy', with Preston Crown Court hearing that the stock would have been worth around £1.5 million had the items been genuine and sold legitimately by the brands themselves. Trading Standards first became aware of the operation in December 2021 after being directed to the Facebook page.

Murphy pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading and fraud. Sentencing her on 8 October to four years and four months, Recorder John Richard Jones K.C. said she knew the items were counterfeit but did not disclose this to customers. 'If you had made it known they were counterfeit goods, they may not have been deceived,' the judge told her. The court noted that the trademark owners were also victims of her actions.

How it is being reported

• Preston Crown Court: Mum jailed over almost £500,000 fake designer clothes business"The prices charged suggested that the items being sold were counterfeit.”Chorley Guardian · 9 Oct, 10:26
• Skelmersdale mum jailed for selling £500k in fake designer goods from popular Facebook pageThe mum-of-two made almost £500,000 by selling fake designer items onlineLancsLive · 9 Oct, 09:40

In this story: Barbara Murphy · Skelmersdale · Preston Crown Court · Facebook · Trading Standards

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