On the third day of trading shopping centres around the City were reporting only steady shopper numbers.
There were spaces available in all car parks.
The unspectacular start may result in calls for the Council, and its agent Make it York, to step up publicity, street entertainment and special deals on car parking.
Meanwhile support for the campaign to have the Museums Gardens reopened is gaining momentum.
Paul Fawkesley, Founder of Treasure Hunt York, has emailed his support for the reopening
Self employed get help
Rishi Sunak announces Govt will pay self-employed people a taxable grant of up to 80 per cent of of their average profits over the past three years, up to £2,500 a month. The Chancellor says this will be available to anyone with profits up to £50k, and is only available to those who make the majority of the income from being self-employed
Community support
We understand that both the North Yorkshire County Council and the City of York Council are setting up local volunteer hubs. These will co ordinate the provision of services within local neighbourhoods.
In York there are expected to be 20 “hubs” spread around the City with the first starting work before the end of the week. The hubs will not be open to the general public but will direct volunteer efforts on food and other deliveries.
In North Yorkshire 23 community support organisations will be the single point of contact for the county and district councils and working with the local voluntary sector.
People needing help will contact the County Council’s customer service centre on 01609 780780 which will direct them to the contact point in their area. The role of the community support organisation in each locality is as follows:
• The single point of contact for those who are alone and isolated by the pandemic
• Signposting to what local support is available in the community;
• Act as local hub for individuals and groups wishing to volunteer in the community response;
• Provide information on local shopping options and trusted suppliers who are delivering directly to those who are self-isolating;
The Community Support Organisation will work with local voluntary sector groups to arrange:
• Collection and delivery of shopping using local volunteering resources. Shopping will be delivered in line with the safety guidelines and left on the doorstep or in a safe place, in order to avoid close physical contact;
• Collection and delivery of prescriptions using local volunteers. Prescriptions will be collected by a nominated person or organisation with the agreement of the GP or pharmacist;
• Caring for pets, for example walking a dog.
• Regular social contact via telephone, FaceTime, Skype or other methods that avoid physical contact with an individual in self-isolation.
• Delivery of books and magazines or materials to support hobbies, such as wool or knitting or art materials
The first thing people wanting to help should do is to think about and talk to family, friends and neighbours who may need help. The county council is also urging them to contact local voluntary groups already known to them mindful that the Government’s regulations must be observed at all
times.
Volunteers must follow the Government’s safety guidance on keeping a two
metre distance from people and the regular washing of hands.
“If volunteers have specific or specialist skills to offer, again they should be in contact with local groups. They can also contact the county council customer service centre which can direct them to their local community support organisation which can process their offer of help.”
The county council is working with the community support organisations to bring in North Yorkshire Volunteer ID cards in line with Government guidance.
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Funerals
Information from City of York Council, “Whilst the Prime Minister announced the closures of places of worship and social events, however they did make an exception for funerals attended by immediate families. We are in close and regular contact with funeral directors and are following the latest government advice.
As part of steps to manage the impact of Coronavirus, and taking into account national guidance relating to social distancing, City of York Council has announced a number of changes relating to York Crematorium.
From immediate effect funeral services will still go ahead but with only 10 (ten) mourners to being allowed inside the White Rose Chapel and 5 (five) inside the Ebor Chapel. This is restricted to close family only (spouse/partner, parents/carers, brothers/sisters and children and their partners). This is to minimise the number of people gathering.
The council will seek to provide a recording free of charge and within 72 hours of the service the funeral director will receive the recording in an mp4 file format ready to pass onto to the family”.
Roadworks
Stonegate completing – all others postponed
We have taken the decision to close down the active work site at Monkgate which is still more than a week away from completion.
The site will be made safe and works will not recommence until such time central government indicate it is safe to do so. Temporary traffic signals will still be in place at the junction but hopefully the network will still remain quiet as people avoid travel wherever possible.
Council leaflet
Information about volunteering and community support is being distributed to all homes in the city. These leaflets have already begun distribution. “The delivery teams are working flat out, are working safely and within Government guidelines and the leaflets, as COVID-relevant council information, have been prioritised for delivery.” The information is the same as has already been widely distributed on social media.
The Council says that they are also producing postcards for each ward (with ward members contact details) and stay safe stay home information will be sent by royal mail early next week.
Current Available Mental Health and Wellbeing and COVID-19 Resources
Please find below a list of current resources that are available online to support Mental Health & Wellbeing as part of COVID-19 Response.
Mental Health & Wellbeing and COVID-19 – Adults
Looking After Your Mental Health during the Coronavirus Outbreak – The Mental Health Foundation
Coronavirus and your Wellbeing – MIND
Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations During COVID-19 Outbreak – WHO
Coping with Stress during the 2019 n-Cov Outbreak – WHO
How to stay active while you’re at home – Sport England
Coronavirus Guidance – Carers UK
Easy Read guide to Coronavirus – PHE
Mental Health & Wellbeing and COVID-19 – Children & Young People
Helping Children Cope with Stress during 2019 n-Cov Outbreak – WHO
Talking to your child about coronavirus – Young Minds
There are also three videos, one for school staff, one for parents and one for children and young people which may be useful.
General Health & Wellbeing Resources
Every Mind Matters – NHS and PHE
Mood Assessment and Mental Wellbeing Audio Guides – NHS
Tips for Everyday Living – MIND
Scam advice
Police advice
York Council service changes
The safety of the public and staff is paramount, therefore we are ensuring social distancing guidance set out by the Government is followed where ever possible. This has led to widespread changes to the services we offer.
This includes:
Volunteering
So far, 1,400 residents have signed up to volunteer which is a wonderful response. We’re still looking for more, so please sign up
Parking and Car Parks including free parking for key workers and food workers
Public Toilets
Public toilets in the city centre will be closed until further notice.. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Parks and open spaces
All council-run parks in the city will remain open for exercise but we’re asking visitors to ensure they adhere to social distance best practice. From this weekend, Rowntree Park will reopen following the flooding earlier this year.
Play areas will be closed from today and this includes basketball courts, skateparks, caged five a side areas and tennis courts. Notices are being placed in all play areas instructing the public of this decision.
To ensure we follow the government’s guidance on social distancing the York Bar Walls are closed.
Roadworks
We are suspending all non-essential roadworks across the city, including replacing traffic signals on Monkgate, following the government’s advice on social distancing. If possible we will remove cones and temporary traffic light to ensure the minimum amount of disruption is caused for those making essential journeys. This also ensures that we are able to redeploy staff if necessary to ensure essential services, such as refuse collection, continue to run.
Bulky Waste Collections
Our bulky waste collection services, which collections bulky items from households has now temporarily stopped. This is to ensure we can continue providing essential services across the city, including collecting your household waste (black bins).
Household Waste Recycling Centres
Our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC), including Hazel Court and Towthorpe, are now closed.
This is on the basis that a visit to the HWRC cannot be considered essential – in line with recent national advice
We will be keeping Hazel Court open for commercial use – e.g. small builders, as they are currently allowed to continue to operate whilst adhering to social distancing. They will be required to produce a ‘duty of care’ transfer note on arrival.
Register Office
Unfortunately all ceremonies have been postponed following the governments advice. We have contacted everyone who has made a booking to look at rescheduling for a later date. The Register Office is currently only open to register a death. We are asking people to only go to the register office if they have a pre-booked appointment and are not showing any symptoms. We’re are also asking for only one person to attend each appointment to ensure social distancing guidance is followed.
Crematorium
From immediate effect funeral services will still go ahead but with only 10 (ten) mourners to being allowed inside the White Rose Chapel and 5 (five) inside the Ebor Chapel. This is restricted to close family only (spouse/partner, parents/carers, brothers/sisters and children and their partners). This is to minimise the number of people gathering.
Adult social care
In partnership with the NHS, we are prioritising the safe and supported return home of people currently in hospital.
We’re closely working with care home providers to monitor capacity in care homes across the city.
We’ve shared updated Govt advice on shielding online to protect the most medically vulnerable residents.
Fraud prevention
Advice from Trading Standards on how to spot or avoid scams can be viewed here https://www.york.gov.uk/FraudPrevention
Housing
We’re contacting all vulnerable households and tenants aged over 65 to check on their needs.
All housing landlord services will be run online or by phone to protect tenants, their families and our staff.
No face-to-face appointments can be run at the moment and tenants are being asked to use online and phone services only.
We’re reminding tenants that they must continue to pay their rent, but any who are struggling with their rent should contact their Housing Management Officers (HMOs) as soon as possible. We’re taking a flexible approach on enforcement.
We’ve shared details of benefits advice and where to make new claims or update existing ones is people’s circumstances change.
Housing adaptations
The priority areas are for minor adaptations to residents’ homes to enable safe hospital discharge and to fit key safes to enable carers to support them at home.
Homelessness services
In addition to our established hostels, we are working with private providers to place single homeless people with lower support needs in single rooms. These can be used to self isolate if needed. We are currently sending food to these customers and plan to use volunteers to support staff doing this.
In our hostels we are mitigating risks with extra sanitising measures and using social distancing. We are staffing hostels at levels which meet residents’ welfare needs and protect staff.
Rough Sleeper services are operating in the same way: for a bed, please go to 63, Lawrence Street or call them on 01904 416562
We are continuing with our services for people concerned about being homeless, and these will be done online or by phone. Anyone concerned about homelessness should call City of York Council on 01904 554500 or visit www.york.gov.uk/homelessness/housing-options.
Noise nuisance
We ask residents to show tolerance and consideration for neighbours at this difficult time and as we get used to new ways of living: it’s important that we all work together.
We are asking people to think about what they can do to live with levels of noise from neighbours, such as using a room in a quieter part of the home or using headphones to help concentrate. If this doesn’t work, in most cases, being neighbourly and considerate can resolve the majority of problems.
Our service is here to investigate criminal levels of noise nuisance and activate legal enforcement. If you do not think that what you are experiencing needs this, please consider safe contact with your neighbours to reach an agreement.
Stray dogs
Our stray dog service is currently suspended. If you find a stray dog or have lost your dog please phone our Dog Warden on 01904 552299 who may have had contact from owners and finders and can put you in touch.
Free parking for NHS staff and other key workers at York Council car parks
£1m business emergency fund to protect York businesses and jobs during coronavirus outbreak
The fund will target a range of support at around 1000 small and micro firms, who are not set to benefit from the recently announced Government support packages.
The council is working closely with partners to make sure the fund delivers the most effective support and targets those who are least likely to benefit from existing measures.
In addition to the creation of a business support fund, the Council is also taking a series of action to alleviate pressures on local businesses during this difficult period.
These include:
Councillor Keith Aspden, leader of City of York Council, said:
“These measures are designed to protect jobs and help local businesses who are having to adapt to extremely challenging circumstances and fall outside the remit of any government support.”
“In addition to the £1 million emergency fund for business, there will be a separate hardship fund of £1.25m to support residents, which we’ll announce details of soon. In the meantime, any resident facing financial difficulty should apply to our hardship scheme immediately.
Councillor Andrew Waller, executive member for the economy, said:
“We want to get help to businesses as quickly as possible to assist them at this critical time. We would encourage other property landlords to take the same approach.
“We’re also working with the York BID, LEPS and other partners to connect businesses to all the available advice, guidance and support, so we’d urge any business to visit www.york.gov.uk/BusinessSupport to see what is available to them.”
The council is engaging with business support services and partners to make sure the fund delivers the most effective support, with full details to be announced in the coming days.
Any resident facing financial difficulty can see all the available support, and apply for the York Financial Assistance Scheme, at https://www.york.gov.uk/COVIDFinancialHelp
A York man has been given a 20 month suspended sentence for a case of fraud which deprived the public purse of over £86k, in the first social care fraud prosecution by Veritau and City of York Council
Neil Long (aged 54 of Leighton Croft, York) failed to inform City of York Council, who funded his mother’s social care, when his parents’ property was sold in 2014. The case was investigated by Veritau, City of York Council’s counter fraud provider, and successfully prosecuted by the council.
This is the first prosecution of a social care fraud by the council’s legal department and an area of development for the counter fraud team. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) found that in 2018/19 losses due to adult social care fraud cases nationally had risen by 104% from the previous year.
City of York Council received information that Mr Long, the financial representative for his mother, had sold his parents’ property in 2014 and received £198,000 that he had not declared despite receiving social care funding.
The investigation found that on two separate occasions during 2015, Mr Long informed the council that his parents were still joint owners of the property and that his father still lived there.
During this period, the council spent £86,000 on social care for Mr Long’s mother, which has now been collected in full, as a result of joint working between Veritau and financial investigators from City of York’s Trading Standards team.
Appearing at York Magistrates Court on Tuesday 8 October 2019, Mr Long plead guilty to two charges of fraud by false representation.
The case was referred to York Crown Court for sentencing on Wednesday 4 December 2019, where Mr Long was given a 20 month suspended sentence and 80 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to repay all council costs of over £1,100 and an £80 victim surcharge.
When sentencing, the judge stated that a significant factor in mitigation was the repayment of £86,000 that Mr Long made to the council.
Sharon Houlden, Corporate Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care at City of York Council, said: “Adult social care funds support many individuals within the city and fraud like this reduces our ability to help people and make meaningful differences in their lives. We work hard to protect public money and take all reports of fraud seriously.”
Any members of the public with information on fraudulent activity are encouraged to phone the anonymous fraud hotline on 0800 9179 247.
A 24 hour voicemail facility is available, or you can email counter.fraud@veritau.co.uk.
City of York Council is raising awareness of doorstep crime ahead of Doorstop Crime Awareness Week between 14 and 18 October.
The authority is working in partnership with colleagues from across the Yorkshire and Humber region as well as trading standards to provide advice to residents during the week.
The council is reaching out to provide a range of support and advice during the week to help those who are most targeted. Criminals are known to target the elderly and vulnerable by unsolicited door knocks or putting leaflets through their doors.
The following support will be provided during the week:
Meet us for advice at a city centre bus stop:
Trading standards officers will be based at city centre bus stops throughout the week, including outside the Theatre Royal on St Leonard’s Place (Tuesday and Friday) or Stonebow (Monday, Wed and Friday), to provide face-to-face advice between 9am and 10.30am.
Drop your leaflets into one of our collection boxes:
We know criminals use leaflets to pose as legitimate traders. Some of the bogus claims to lure vulnerable or unsuspecting residents into agreeing to unnecessary discounts are often promoted as ‘OAP discounts, ‘established family businesses and ‘skilled tradesman’.
With the worst offenders repeatedly targeting their victims time and again.
Residents are encouraged to drop off any leaflets they think fall into this category for our trading standards teams to review. Drop off points are provided at the following locations, or email them to trading.standards@york.gov.uk
FACTS: Know your rights:
Cllr Andrew Waller, Executive Member for Economy and Strategic Planning, said: “Trading Standards Officers regularly receive reports of people cold calling residents to sell goods and services. In some cases we know residents have felt pressurised into parting with vast sums of money for unnecessary and poor quality products.
“We know that crimes of this nature are under-reported, and so we urge anyone with concerns or information to get in touch by contacting the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 03454 040506.”
A project by Yorkshire and Humber Trading Standards Group and Electrical Safety Assessments Ltd tackled national concerns about the fire safety of second hand white goods.This spring, Trading Standards officers from eight authorities carried out tests and inspections on electrical appliances offered for sale.
During the first stage, retail outlets selling pre-owned white goods were visited. Superficial inspections were carried out on items such as; washing machines; tumble dryers; microwave ovens; cookers; and refrigerators.
Next, detailed inspections of test-purchased appliances were undertaken by City of York Council and Doncaster Council.
Testing included checking the rating, make, model and serial number; checking the supply cord and plug; detailed damage checks; electrical insulation strength; and internal wiring and connections.
The inspections carried out found all the second hand white goods within the area to be safe for purchase, and did not incur any warnings or prosecutions for business owners. (more…)
A husband and wife from Leeds convicted of consumer protection offences against vulnerable people have been ordered to pay back £917,287 under the Proceeds of Crime Act following a hearing at Leeds Crown Court.
Claire Wray (aged 38) and Paul Wray (aged 51, both of Clayton Wood Close, Leeds) both received prison sentences in March 2017 following their convictions. They mis-sold mattresses, beds and mobility equipment to elderly consumers through their company Dreamwell Limited.
Claire Wray, the sole director of the company, received 12 months in prison after being found guilty of misleading, banned and aggressive commercial practices, and money laundering. She was also disqualified from being a company director for seven years. Her husband, Paul Wray, company secretary for Dreamwell Ltd, was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment for illegal commercial practices in July 2016 and was disqualified from being a company director for nine years.
Recorder Iqbal QC ordered that the proceeds of crime confiscation order is to be paid within 3 months or the Wrays would face a further 6 years imprisonment. He also ordered that compensation totalling £20,757 was to be paid to the Wray’s victims from the confiscated monies.
The couple was arrested on 9 December 2014 following over 50 complaints which triggered an extensive operation over an 18-month period by the National Trading Standards Yorkshire & the Humber Regional Investigations Team, based at City of York Council and the North East Regional Asset Recovery Team based with West Yorkshire.
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Containers being installed on 4th September
A response to a Freedom of Information request, recorded with the City of York Council on 15th November, has revealed irregularities with the lease for the site on which the containers were installed at the beginning of September.
It has emerged that the operator Sparks had, and still has, no lease for the site.
A “tenancy at will” was signed as recently as 9th November 2017.
In effect the company was able to park their assets on Council land for 2 months without permission or payment.
In November 2016 the Council’s Executive had agreed to lease 17/21 Piccadilly for the storage container village. The development was to start trading in May 2017 and the lease would expire in June 2020. The Council agreed to stump up £40,000 to cover the cost of providing water, electric and gas supply.
The Council was to have had a representative on the Sparks Board to look after its financial interests.
The Council expected to receive a basic rent plus a 30% share of “profits” (sic). The minutes of the meeting were clear that a lease (and hence rent payments) had to be in place to underwrite any Council investment.
A year later and the development has not been completed. No lease is in place. The Council has received no rent payments. No business rates have been paid on the site.
Risk warning Nov 2016
The containers have yet to be fitted out.
However, it has also emerged that the Council has already spent £31,500 (of the £40,000 budget) on facilitating the development.
Sparks has said that the earliest the container village could open is in March 2018. That would leave just 2 years for the Council to recover its investment.
The development has been described as an ugly eyesore made worse by its proximity to several sensitive historic buildings
Later this week a Councillor will be asked to extend the area to be covered by the lease to Sparks. The area has most recently been used for car parking.
No additional payment is being sought from the developer for the extra land.
Plans have been agreed for the further rollout of Cold Calling Controlled Zones, an extremely effective tool in combating the number of persistent cold callers.
Cllr Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism has given the go ahead for Council officers to relax rules on the establishment of new zones, allowing communities to create a new zone where residents are overwhelmingly in favour. To support this, officers will also be drafting new material to assist interested communities with the administration of a zone.
Once the supporting materials have been created, communities that have problems with cold callers, rogue traders and doorstep crime will be able to access the Council’s new ‘pay as you go’ model and set up their own zones.
Cllr Ann Reid said:
“I am delighted to kick-start the next phase in our hugely effective Cold Calling Controlled Zones. It is absolutely essential that we continue to support our communities in tackling local crime associated with cold calling and ensure residents feel safe at their own doorsteps.
A wide-range of materials is currently being worked on and will be available shortly for any interested groups. In the meantime, we will continue to liaise with the police to ensure PCSOs are continuously involved in the process.”
There are currently 216 zones, covering approximately 8000 houses in the City. If a local organisation or resident is interested in creating a cold calling controlled zone, they should contact the Council’s Trading Standards Team on 01904 551525.
Meanwhile the Police have warned about bogus callers in York
“Cold Calling is on the rise in and around York. Groups of people are travelling into our area, claiming to be bona fide pedlars and are showing identification to claim this. The permits they are displaying are not valid for the City Of York.
They are offering high priced cleaning items. If you have elderly/ vulnerable residents within your area please inform them not to engage with these people and not to open their doors to people they do not know.
If your particular area is a no cold calling zone then would suggest that you contact Trading Standards and or City of York Council to highlight this activity. For all non emergency calls in relation to the above please ring 101 and report this to the Police”
A mother and son who ran a company that fraudulently serviced Dyson vacuums have been sentenced at Leeds Crown Court today (25 September) for a total ten years for conspiracy to defraud following an investigation by National Trading Standards.
Thomas Scoffin (aged 31 from Park Avenue, Leeds) was the sole director of Leeds-based Excel Servicing Ltd and has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment. His mother Linda Scoffin (aged 61 from Hall Drive, Lincoln) who helped him run the business, has been sentenced to three years in prison.
The judge said that the fraud was so serious that it required a custodial sentence. There were also disqualified from being company directors: Tom for eight years, Linda for six years.
Following complaints against their firm, the National Trading Standards Yorkshire & Humber Regional Investigations team based at City of York Council took 34 witness statements from 24 February 2014 to 30 May 2015. They found that the Scoffins’ company defrauded customers – many of whom were elderly or vulnerable – by falsely claiming to represent Dyson and then conducting unnecessary servicing on their Dyson vacuum cleaners.
The company cold-called members of the public from across the north of England and told them their Dyson vacuum cleaners required a service. Customers were misled to believe Excel Servicing represented Dyson, with some being told Dyson had contracted out their servicing to Excel.
Despite their claim that Dyson vacuum cleaners required servicing, this is not the case which was confirmed by Dyson Ltd itself. When company representatives visited customers they carried out unnecessary ‘servicing’ and, in some cases, actually damaged the vacuum cleaners and voided customers’ Dyson warranties.
Customers were often charged between £50 and £200 to service the cleaners, and charged £40 for a new filter which were, in fact, worth between £2 and £5.
While ‘servicing’ victims’ Dyson cleaners, Excel Servicing staff used pressure-sales tactics to persuade them to buy another brand of vacuum cleaner. The new cleaners – which are designed for industrial use – were sold for between £500 and £2,000 and were often too heavy for the customers to whom they were sold.
The investigators found that Linda Scoffin also ran her own business, KB Midlands Limited, from Lincoln. It supplied and sold Kirby cleaners, and also emailed instructions to Excel Servicing. KB Midlands Limited supplied Kirby cleaners to Excel Servicing.
£1.5 million was received into the Excel Servicing business account for the period of the investigation and payments were made – sometimes through a finance company – to buy Kirby vacuum cleaners.
The investigators also found that the couple paid for numerous foreign holidays from money made by Excel Servicing, while Tom Scoffin spent in bars, restaurants and casinos. During the period of investigation, he was found to have withdrawn £17,000 in cash, and the business bank account for Excel Servicing was used to buy international flights.
Despite this spending, Excel Servicing declared a loss to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs during this period and paid no Corporation Tax.
Both now face confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Lord Toby Harris, Chair of National Trading Standards, said:
“These individuals preyed on elderly and vulnerable people, exploiting their trust and defrauding them. I would like to thank all involved in bringing these criminals to justice – these sentences send a strong signal that National Trading Standards will not hesitate to prosecute those attempting to defraud consumers.
“If you think you or someone you know may have fallen victim to a fraudulent business then I would urge you to contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06.”
Councillor Ann Reid, interim executive member with responsibility for Trading Standards at City of York Council, said:
“This tenacious investigation is to be congratulated: it has revealed a disgraceful fraud against vulnerable people and has brought those responsible to justice. I hope this sentence goes someway to reassuring the victims of this fraud and helps restore consumer confidence in legitimate businesses.”
Colin Rumford from the National Trading Standards Yorkshire and Humber Regional Investigations Team said:
“Being aware of consumer rights, not settling for spurious assurances and reporting concerns to Trading Standards is the right thing for people to do: this case proves that. I’m delighted with this team’s work and its outcome.”
A city centre shopkeeper has today (6 September) been ordered by York Crown Court to pay over £75,000 profit from the sale of counterfeit goods from his shop over the past six years, following a proceeds of crime investigation by City of York Council’s Trading Standards.
Frank Kerr, aged 70 of Milan House, Eboracum Way, off Heworth Green, York has been given three months to pay the £75,059.98 benefit from his crimes or face a two year prison sentence after which the debt will still be hanging over him. He has also been ordered to pay £15,000 to City of York Council towards their investigation costs, within nine months.
The investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 followed a criminal investigation culminating in the prosecution of Frank Kerr in 2015. This followed the council’s Trading Standards officers finding racks of counterfeit clothes and other pirated luxury goods at Miss Diva, York. At the time, Mr Kerr told officers that he was providing a service for people who couldn’t afford the genuine article and that he felt the matter was quite trivial, having already been cautioned by Trading Standards officers for similar offences in 2012.
Mr Kerr pleaded guilty to 11 offences involving counterfeit goods, and 11 more as the sole director of Miss Diva Too Ltd. He also asked for 348 other offences to be taken into consideration. He was given a suspended four-month prison sentence.
At the time of that trial in 2015, the Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, predicted that the “sting in the tail” of the case would come following the financial investigation into the proceeds of these crimes, when Trading Standards would ask the court to confiscate his assets.
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