A COUPLE who were involved in the trade of thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit products, including fake Tiffany bracelets, have been released on bail by a judge.

Darren and Michaela Roberts were caught with 974 illicit items when police and Trading Standards launched a dawn raid at their north Swindon home last summer.

In the house, shed and garage they recovered fake designer jewellery, footwear, clothing, sportswear, watches and handbags, which were all for sale.

Now the couple could be at risk of a jail term after admitting a series of trade mark offences at Swindon Crown Court.

As well as the bogus high-ended jewellery they also had clothing bearing labels such as Diesel, Ralph Lauren, Fred Perry, Lacoste, Franklin and Marshall and Jack Wills. Also recovered were counterfeit Ugg boots, Nike Air and All Star trainers, Ice Watches and Dior beauty bags.

Along with the Tiffany bracelets were others purporting to be from trendy High Street chain Pandora as well as Cath Kidston handbags.

An earlier hearing was told the horde seized by investigators could be worth more than £20,000.

Darren, 47, who works in the building trade, insisted the operation was his ‘business’ and his 44-year-old wife played a peripheral part.

George Threlfall, for Mr Roberts, said his client had spent all his working life as a subcontractor in the building trade.

Faced with an uncertain income stream because of the weather and other circumstances he diversified into selling these items.

“Mr Roberts always made it clear it was replicas. No one thought they were getting the genuine article because you couldn’t possibly for the price he was selling at,” he said.

Mr Threlfall told the court that the internet was awash with sites selling similar items at knockdown prices.

James Burke, for Mrs Roberts, said she was not the main driver and just helped out her husband to assist in getting the business going.

He said although they still lived together and had children they had a complicated relationship and she was getting no financial benefit from the enterprise.

Thomas Horder, prosecuting, told the court that they did not accept what Mrs Roberts said as they had evidence that she was sending text messages to customers.

He pointed out to the court that the maximum sentence for trade mark offences was a possible jail term.

The defendants, of Redhouse Way, north Swindon, each pleaded guilty to 17 counts of unauthorised use of a trade mark.

Judge Peter Blair QC adjourned the case to Friday, December 19 to allow the probation service time to compile pre-sentence reports and released them on bail.