A WITNEY woman who sold counterfeit hairdryers has been told to pay £2,500 in fines.

Maddison Hawk, of Mallard Drive, used Amazon to sell two gift-sets of GHD branded hairdryers and GHD branded hair stylers to a covert trading standards officer through her company Perfect Strand.

They were sent to the trademark holder who confirmed they were fake and tests resulted in one of the hairdryers catching fire.

At Oxford Magistrates' Court today, Hawk pleaded guilty to four trademark offence charges.

The 27-year-old was fined £2,500 - £500 for each of the offences - and was ordered to pay a total of £5,838 in costs.

Oxfordshire Trading Standards team leader Anu Prashar, who prosecuted Hawk, said: “People may be tempted when they spot cheap designer-branded products online and think that they are the genuine product.

“Unfortunately, as this case shows, there are sellers out there who take advantage.”

Councillor Rodney Rose, the Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, who has Cabinet responsibility for Trading Standards, said:

"This is another great result for Oxfordshire Trading Standards. I hope this case acts as a deterrent to others out there who may be thinking of selling fake goods and also as a warning to buyers who are not sure if what they see for sale is genuine."

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