A WOMAN who was selling fake designer handbags from her Salisbury home has been spared a prison sentence.

Kesini Krueanarong, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of being in possession of counterfeit designer handbags in the course of a business when she appeared in court on Friday (August 2).

During the hearing, Salisbury Crown Court heard how the 46-year-old had sold counterfeit bags between 2020 and 2022, despite receiving a number of warnings from Wiltshire Council Trading Standards officers.

Krueanarong was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, as well as being ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £12,958 and a victim surcharge after being prosecuted under the Trade Marks Act 1994.

The court was told how, between December 2020 and February 2021, Wiltshire Trading Standards received several complaints Krueanarong had sold counterfeit handbags.

Officers provided advice to the defendant, who claimed she had sold her own personal items.

However, a further complaint was received in August 2021, from a person who purchased 70 counterfeit handbags from Krueanarong via a Facebook page where she had advertised items for sale.

In August and September 2021, UK Border Force sent warning letters to Krueanarong after they intercepted packages addressed to her arriving from Thailand, which contained more counterfeit handbags.

Then, following intelligence Krueanarong was continuing to sell fake designer handbags through Facebook, Trading Standards Officers executed a warrant at her home in June 2022.

During the raid, 361 handbags were seized and following examination, 344 of these were subsequently found to be counterfeit.

Brands included Giorgio Armani, Versace, Burberry, Chanel, Celine, Dior, Givenchy, Hermes, Longchamp, Louis Vuitton, MCM, Prada, Miu Miu and YSL.

Cllr Dominic Muns, cabinet member for environment at Wiltshire Council, said: “We are pleased to have exposed this fraudulent activity and brought Ms Krueanarong to justice.

“We hope that this sentence will serve as a warning and a deterrent both to her and anyone else participating in this form of activity.

“The impact of this kind of fraud is far reaching, affecting both consumer confidence and trust. As set out in our Business Plan, we take our commitment to protect residents from harm and our consumer protection role seriously and will never hesitate to prosecute in circumstances like this.

“I also want to thank the victims in this case for coming forward and sharing their experiences to help us secure these prosecutions.”

Anyone who believes they have a consumer issue and needs advice, or wishes to report a business, they should call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.