Alleged rogue trader set to face toy trial

A company and its director have denied flooding major high street shops in Blackpool with 40,000 fake Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and other branded toys.
A teenage mutant ninja turtle toyA teenage mutant ninja turtle toy
A teenage mutant ninja turtle toy

It is alleged popular high streets chains in the resort, including B and M Bargains and TJ Morris Ltd, which runs Home Bargains, and Lewis Home Retail Ltd, which runs TJ Hughes, were stung by the sale of hundreds of thousands of counterfeit toys and games, ripping off brands such as Marvel, Hasbro and Viacom.

Preston Crown Court was told the chains had already sold several of the toys when the alleged offences came to light during a probe by Blackpool Council’s trading standards department.

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It followed a complaint to the council from a member of the public who said a Ninja Turtle figure she had bought in the resort was not genuine.

Jacob Kahn, 63, of Parkway, Golders Green, London, entered not guilty pleas to a string of 34 offences under the Trademark Act – both against himself as a director and against his firm, Amazing Saving, of The Vale, Golders Green, London.

Richard Archer, prosecuting, said: “In a nutshell the company with the authority and assistance of the defendant sold, or made arrangements to sell, a number of different toys to three large trading establishments.”

He added when sales had been agreed and the companies had requested a sample, genuine figures had been sent – but it is alleged once the transactions were agreed, Kahn’s firm would source cheaper, black market goods from the Far East and supply them.

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Kahn denies liability for the same offences by being a director of the firm.

Eight charges relate to selling products to B&M Retail Ltd, while five concern TJ Morris Ltd and one relates to Lewis Home Retail Ltd.

Kahn and Amazing Saving Ltd will appear for trial on January 30 next year.

Thousands of ‘counterfeit’ toys

The allegations against the company are that it

SOLD

8,004 counterfeit turtle figures in 2014

14,096 counterfeit turtle figures sold in 2015

42,996 fake Spiderman Triple Attack figures between 2014 and 2915

1,000 fake Spiderman Triple Attack figures in 2014

1,063 fake Spiderman Triple Attack figures in 2015

POSSESSED

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4,000 fake Spiderman Triple Attack figures with a view to selling them

9,120 fake Leonardo Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figures with a view to selling them

6,633 fake Mutant Ninja Turtles vehicle sets with a view to selling them

WAS SELLING:

38,460 fake Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle vehicle sets,

8,529 fake Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle with vehicle seats

12,783 fake Pie Face games

29,358 fake Spidey Shot Web Fluid Figures

27,072 counterfeit Spiderman webcopter sets

10,040 counterfeit Spiderman webcopter sets

37,440 fake Superhero Mashup figures

20,000 counterfeit Spiderman Web Warrior figures

2,000 bogus Spiderman Web Warrior figures.