Golf club scammers to be sentenced

Seven members of a gang behind a multi-million pound fake golf club scam believed to be the largest such conspiracy ever to be uncovered on eBay, are facing a jail term. Skip related content

The counterfeiting operation was the biggest of its kind to be investigated by a council trading standards team and was prompted by a pensioner’s complaint, Havering Council said.

Gary Bellchambers and six others sold millions of pounds worth of fake golf clubs and other merchandise through the online auction site between June 2003 and March 2008.

All seven will be sentenced at London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court after officers identified more than 96,000 transactions of clubs and other equipment.

Bellchambers, 45, of Rainham, was at the heart of the conspiracy, and pleaded guilty to his role, along with Keith Thomas, 49, from Rainham, and Chris Moughton, 56, from Blackpool, Havering Council said.

Bellchambers also admitted the unauthorised use of trademarks, which related to counterfeit Qantas complimentary lounge cards and Sony memory sticks.

Four others were found guilty in December last year of conspiring together to sell or distribute counterfeit golf clubs, clothing and accessories.

They were: Roy Cottee, 65, and his 43-year-old wife Kay, of Rainham, Essex; Helen Wilson, 28, of Hertford, and Sharron Williams, 48, of West Wickham, Kent.

Auction site eBay said that the case was supported by its fraud investigation team and reinforced its ongoing commitment to fighting counterfeits.

Both Cottees were also found guilty of conspiracy to sell or distribute Qantas Cards bearing signs likely to be mistaken for registered trade marks.