Two Bishop Auckland women have avoided jail after police intercepted a huge haul of fake designer trainers worth more than £188,000.
Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court heard that 44-year-old Joanne McKimm and 25-year-old Sarah Bell handled fake designer goods worth tens of thousands of pounds.
The pair’s actions came to light following an investigation in 2019 by Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards team. The investigation showed deliveries of fake trainers were being sent from China to Bishop Auckland. Durham County Council’s Trading Standards team found that McKimm, of Yorkshire Place, Bishop Auckland and Bell, of Farm Close, Bishop Auckland, took delivery of thousands of pairs of counterfeit sports trainers between April 2018 and October 2019.
