A man who was caught with £125,000 of knock-off goods has been fined and ordered to complete community service.

Kiran Ruda, 38, ran a business out of his home in Stanmore selling fake products emblazoned with the names of a number of well-known brands.

These included a haul of ‘Premier League’ items, marketed as official merchandise, as well as copies of Marvel, Hello Kitty and Angry Birds gear.

Brent and Harrow Trading Standards officers found that Ruda had more than 30,000 rip-off items, which he sold on Amazon at ‘Make it Magical Crafts and Gifts’.

He pleaded guilty to nine charges against him and was subsequently sentenced at Harrow Crown Court where he was fined £5,000, ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid community work and given a suspended sentence of 18 months imprisonment.

The case will now continue in court for confiscation proceedings where financial investigators will seek to confiscate the illegal profits made from the enterprise.

Councillor Graham Henson, cabinet member for the environment at Harrow Council, said: “We blew the final whistle on Ruda’s operation in handling dodgy knock offs and selling them at the same retail price of genuine items.

“Not only could this have put consumers at risk but is completely unfair on other businesses operating properly.

“His actions were motivated by greed and, as well as being illegal, were hugely irresponsible. We aren’t afraid to do the same with anyone else who thinks it’s ok to handle fake goods in our borough.”

Officers were tipped off by a representative of the Football Association about Ruda’s operation and, after an online test purchase for a sew-on patch purporting to be an official product, a search was carried out of his warehouse where the goods were discovered.

They found that he had illegally imported a large number of the fakes – including several copies of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool merchandise – from China.

Councillor Tom Miller, cabinet member for stronger communities at Brent Council, said he hoped that this example would deter others from carrying out similar schemes.

He said: “This is another great result for Brent and Harrow Trading Standards and should serve as a warning to those selling fake goods in our area.

“Crimes like these are not restricted to a single area. That’s why we continue to work closely with our neighbouring boroughs and local police to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.

“I hope this case encourages others considering selling fake goods to think twice about their actions, whether that’s on the streets, in shops or online.”