Following an earlier trial, Mr Haiwen Yang, director of HL trading Ltd, was sentenced yesterday at Manchester Crown Court, Minshull Street for five offences committed under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
Left: Trading Standards Officers from Stockport Council raided Mr Yang’s storage unit following complaints from consumers and seized approximately 1,500 phone chargers, which were tested and found to be unsafe.
Mr Yang, 48, of St James Way, Cheadle Hulme, Stockport was ordered to pay £5,500 in costs and £1,250 in fines. A Confiscation Order for £1,414 under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 was also obtained, and all the dangerous stock was ordered to be forfeited and destroyed.
Ian O’Donnell, Stockport Council’s Head of Public Protection, said: “Stockport Council will continue to take robust enforcement action when we come across traders selling unsafe products. In this case, the phone chargers had serious faults that were likely to cause them to fail and cause a fire. I would advise the public to exercise caution when purchasing cheap electrical products sold over the internet.”
Members of the public wishing to report any products that they think may be unsafe are advised to contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06 in the first instance.