Rajkumar Rajan of Thatcham’s R’Ellite Raiments tried to flood black market with fake designer clothes

A BUSINESSMAN was caught trying to flood the black market with £657,000 worth of counterfeit designer clothing.

Rajkumar Rajan, a director of R’Ellite Raiments Ltd, whose UK office is based at his home address in Church Gate, Thatcham, started out as a legitimate businessman, Reading Crown Court heard on Wednesday, October 4.

But the 40-year-old was lured onto the black market by the profits to be made from selling counterfeit goods, said Malcolm Gibney, prosecuting on behalf of West Berkshire Council.

Mr Gibney told the court: “Trading standards located multiple pallet loads of clothing in a storage facility in Hampshire.

“Enquiries were made of the trademark owners which led them to believe they were counterfeit.”

The big-name brands ripped off included Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s, Ralph Lauren, G-Star and Diesel.

The court heard Rajan initially tried to claim the clothes, imported from India and Bangladesh, were genuine and that he had emails to prove it.

The firm’s website states it has offices in the UK, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

However, said Mr Gibney: “The holders of the trademarks were given the opportunity to inspect the clothing and confirmed they were, in fact, counterfeit and at no stage had the company been given permission to sell them.”

Rajan subsequently admitted seven charges of selling jeans, sweatshirts, bikini briefs, hoodies, shorts and other clothing items which bore fake designer labels.

The value of the clothing, had the items been legitimate, was £657,276, the court heard.

The offences were committed in Hook, Hampshire, between February 15 and 17 last year.

Jonathan Underhill, defending, said his client was a family man with no prior convictions and was previously of “exemplary good character”.

He added: “It’s clear from the pre-sentence report that Mr Rajan was hitherto running a successful clothing business.

“Through a series of naive, reckless, superficial reviews and cursory examinations of ways to expand his business during the Covid pandemic he made stupid and catastrophic decisions about purchases from Bangladesh and elsewhere.

“This was a legitimate business which has gone off the rails; he has never troubled the criminal justice system before.”

Judge Nicholas Wattam told Rajan: “It seems to me that what was once a legitimate business is no longer because of your indulging in the black market.

“You’ve shown a lack of regard for lawful trade processes.

“You didn’t ensure, as you should have done, that your trade in branded goods was legal.

“I’ve no doubt there would have been a substantial financial gain had you got away with this.”

Judge Wattam sentenced Rajan to 14 months imprisonment, but suspended the term for 18 months.

In addition he ordered Rajan to complete 150 hours of unpaid community work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity.

Rajan’s firm, R’Ellite Raiments Ltd, will be dealt with separately at a confiscation hearing in April.