Isle of Wight Conservative county councillor for Ryde North East, Wayne Whittle, has been ordered to pay over £2,500 after admitting to two counts of selling counterfeit goods and two relating to the sale of unsafe goods.
Cllr Whittle appeared at Reading Magistrates Court last month to admit to the charges.
Readers will remember the report we ran back June 2011, when Trading Standard warned residents to avoid using or buying novelty giant lighters. Cllr Whittle had been warned of the dangers of the lighter, but his remaining stock went on sale at his Christmas Shop in Bracknell at the end of 2011, along with fake ‘Ped Egg’ and ‘Snuggie’ items.
My priority was my Mother
We spoke with Cllr Whittle today, who told On The Wight, “At the time my Mum was dying with Cancer. My friends rallied round to help out whilst I was with her. Unfortunately they took stock from my storeroom to fill the shop that was supposed to have been disposed of.”
He went on to say that he had been trading for over 20 years and never taken to court by Trading Standards before. “My priority was my Mother, but it’s unfortunate that I was being tortured by the Trading Standards at the time.”
A warning to businesses
John Nash, trading standards team manager at Bracknell Forest Council, said, “Mr Whittle had been selling unsafe counterfeit goods in seasonal shops around the South East of England.
“We are pleased with the fines imposed on Mr Whittle and his business and we hope this goes as a warning to any businesses in the area who might be selling counterfeit goods.”
