Businessman to be sentenced for selling fake sneakers
A Kingston businessman who was found selling hundreds of fake name brand shoes is to be sentenced on January 8, next year.
Murli Baboni was arrested and charged with unauthorised used of trade mark, possession of uncustomed goods, and misleading and deceptive conduct after police raided his store and found 434 fake sneakers.
A group of officers from the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime (CTOC) carried out a special operation concerning intellectual property rights infringements on September 11 when Baboni’s store at the Boulevard Super Centre was searched and several sneakers bearing the right holder’s trademark name Nike and All Stars were seen on display in the store. On closer inspection, the shoes were found not to be in the superior quality in keeping with the standards of the rights holders.
The storeroom was searched and a large number of the fake shoes were found. Hence, the businessman was arrested and the counterfeit shoes were seized.
On Thursday when Baboni appeared in court, he pleaded guilty to the charges and his bail was extended for him to return for sentencing after his lawyer David Black requested a social enquiry report.