Ballymena man caught with items of counterfeit clothing including hoodies claimed they were bought in Turkey to give to family and friends as Christmas presents
A Ballymena man caught with counterfeit leggings, sweatshirts, hoodies and tracksuits claimed they were bought in Turkey to give to family and friends for Christmas presents.
Darren Gilmore (49), of Francis Street, had offences detected on December 30 in 2022 but the case has only now been finalised at court.
A prosecutor said her department had received the case file from police in October 2023 and said "workload" may have been to blame for the delay.
District Judge Nigel Broderick said because of the delay in the case he was not jailing the defendant and instead handed down a suspended sentence.
The defendant was sentenced on charges of trading in counterfeit products; possession of 'criminal property' - £7,530; possession of two bullets without a firearms certificate; and possession of cannabis.
A prosecutor told Ballymena Magistrates Court police searched premises where a suitcase was found with the defendant's name and flight details regarding Turkey on the luggage tag.
Inside the suitcase were 22 items of counterfeit Nike clothing. £4,990 cash was in a vacuum-sealed bag wrapped in duct tape.
A further search then took place at Francis Street and two 9mm rounds of ammunition, six grammes of cannabis and £2,540 were found.
The defendant said the ammunition had been posted through his letterbox which he had taken to be a threat. The ammunition had not been handed over to police, a prosecutor said.
Gilmore said the £4,990 cash had been found in his mother's wardrobe following her death, the court was told.
He said £1,900 of the £2,540 found in Francis Street was money he had saved which he had brought to Turkey in a "plastic bag" and had not spent. He was "unable to account for" the remaining £640.
The defendant had a record of 57 previous convictions. A defence barrister said the defendant said the counterfeit goods were bought in Turkey and had been brought back here for family and friends for Christmas.
He said Gilmore had contacted the police about the bullets being sent to him as a threat and "nothing was ever done about it" and that is why they were still in his property.
The barrister said the defendant had a "lifetime" of criminality but is now in "frail" health and had not offended recently.
The judge said: "Not for one minute do I believe that these were gifts for Christmas. This nonsense about getting presents from Turkey is not accepted by the court. In my view you were getting fake, counterfeit, goods, taking them back and selling them for profit."
He said the delay in the case being brought to court meant he was suspending a prison term.
"For some reason, unknown to me, the prosecution have taken two and a half years to prosecute you. That is a significant delay which hasn't really been explained by the prosecution and for that reason, and that reason only, I am going to suspend this sentence."
The defendant was given a five months prison, suspended for two years. Destruction Orders were made for the goods, ammunition and drugs and a Forfeiture Order made for the £7,530 which had been seized.