UK man sentenced for selling fake World Cup shirts

A UK man who sold counterfeit football shirts in the run up to the 2022 World Cup has been sentenced.

Matthew Hyett, 33, of Mill Street, Batley, sold counterfeit football merchandise from a market stall in Morley, West Yorkshire, and an online store. Officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police seized the items, worth an estimated loss to the industry of £70,000, during raids in October 2022. During his police interview, Hyett admitted that he knew the shirts were counterfeit.

Hyett pleaded guilty at Leeds Magistrates Court on August 2 to the acquisition of criminal property and distributing goods bearing a false trade mark. Yesterday he was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 150 hours of community service.