Rugby star Gareth Raynor jailed for selling fakes worth £36,000 on eBay

International winger Gareth Raynor, who left Hull FC to join Crusaders earlier this year, was told by a judge at Hull Crown Court he had "used up" his good name as a result of his offences.

Raynor, 32, traded under the name "Genuine-Ink" from his home in Brough, to import reconditioned second-hand ink cartridges from China. He re-packaged them using glossy inner and outer packaging made to look like genuine brands, a trading standards spokesman said. Nintendo DS and Gameboy cartridges were also imported and sold under the same pretence on the internet auction website.

At an earlier hearing, Raynor pleaded guilty to 14 charges including breaching trademarks and fraudulent trading. He was given nine months in jail for his counterfeiting offences and a further six as a result of breaching a previous suspended sentence relating to a racially-aggravated common assault, trading standards said.

Sentencing Raynor, Judge Roger Thorn QC said: "You were not saying that your product was cheap and shoddy when advertising them via eBay and as such any purchaser was buying based on trust. You breached that trust. The buyers could not inspect the product until after the deal had been done.

"Thus both the buyer is a victim and also the producer of the product is the victim in loss of sales. Your good name was used up when you received your suspended sentence although you have been doing good things within the community."

The operation came to light when officers from East Riding of Yorkshire Council's trading standards raided Raynor's home in August 2008 and found evidence of the 36,000 fraud. Computers and a number of packages containing fake ink cartridges ready for dispatch were seized from the property. A large quantity of fake ink cartridges was also discovered in the garage.

Further investigations revealed that more than 1,500 transactions involving the sale of fake ink cartridges and Nintendo DS and Gameboy games had taken place online between May 2007 and August 2008. Computers used by Raynor were examined and revealed a string of emails in which he was "in effect" asking his suppliers to make sure fake goods appeared as genuine as possible, according to trading standards.

Councillor Jane Evison, portfolio holder for cultural services, housing and public protection, said: "This sentence will send a message to anyone involved in this kind of illegal activity. Our successful and extensive investigation of Mr Raynor shows that East Riding of Yorkshire Council treats these crimes seriously, and will do what it can to protect the consumers who are the real victims in these cases."

Michael Rawlinson, director general of the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), said replicating computer and video games software had a negative effect on both local and national businesses. He said: "ELSPA would like to thank the efforts of East Riding of Yorkshire Council's trading standards service in their attempts to protect legitimate local traders and remove illegal products from the marketplace."