Pubs fined for fake spirits
Two east London licensees have been fined for passing off cheap spirits as brand names like Smirnoff and Bacardi.
The Cross Keys in Dagenham and the Britannia in Barking - along with a nearby restaurant - were taken to court by Trading Standards officers.
The prosecutions were the result of an investigation in September & October 2005.
Trading Standards officers carried out unannounced inspections at virtually every pub and licensed restaurant in the Borough.
They used state-of-the-art equipment to identify whether products were real or fake.
John William Pells, licensee of The Britannia, pleaded guilty to two offences and was fined £300 with costs of £600.
He asked for six other offences to be taken into consideration
Pells told the court that he had been on holiday at the time of the offences and had left the premises in the hands of an acquaintance who he had not seen for several years, but had recently met again.
Pells asked the man to look after the pub.
James Frederick Doughty, licensee of The Cross Keys, Crown Street, Dagenham, was caught selling cheap spirits in nine 1.5 litre Smirnoff bottles and three 1.5 litre Bacardi bottles.
Doughty, who pleaded guilty to two offences and asked for another twenty-two to be taken into consideration claimed that a pub regular had offered to help him by topping up the bottles and that the error must have occurred during this process.
He was fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £800.
Cllr Liam Smith, Deputy Leader of the Council, said: "I welcome these prosecutions and hope they send a clear message to every licensed premises in the Borough: if you pass off cheap liquor as leading brands, it is only a matter of time before you get out."
