A TRADER has been found guilty of possessing more than 500 fake designer clothes and accessories at his Church Street Market stall.

Latif Raufi, 42, was caught with handbags, belts, glasses, wallets and clothes bearing the labels Dolce & Gabbana, Chloe, Chanel and Gucci among others in 2006.

Inspection officers were immediately suspicious when they saw Raufi selling a number of “designer” handbags for sale for between �10 and �15, Southwark Crown Court heard. The goods were seized and he was summoned to court but failed to appear. He was eventually arrested in February 2010 after a warrant was issued.

He initially entered a “not guilty” plea at magistrates’ court before changing it to “guilty” when the case was heard at crown court. Raufi, originally from Afghanistan, had held a licence to trade at Church Street Market since 2004. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order for each of his 13 offences. The orders will run at the same time as each other.

He will be required to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and will be subject to a supervision order, as well as paying �2,500 towards legal costs.

Judge Jeffrey Pegden said: “It’s plain to me, as your plea makes clear, that you knew these items were counterfeit.

“But the offences do not bear a high degree of professionalism or a high level of profit.”