Fans duped into buying 'fake' Champions League Final memorabilia

Feb 8 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

SPORTS fans were conned into spending thousands of pounds on faked autographs in the wake of Liverpool FC’s famous Champions League win in 2005, a court heard.

Signatures, including those of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, were “systematically” forged and sold by businessmen Graeme Walker and Faisal Madani, a jury at Chester Crown Court was told.

Other autographs forged included England rugby player Jonny Wilkinson, and footballers David Beckham, Michael Owen, and Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, it was claimed.

Walker, 45, is accused of more than 50 counts of cheating the customers of his shop, Sporting Icons Limited, based in Chester city centre and on the internet site eBay.

Madani, 43, described in court as the “middle man”, faces 20 counts of supplying the forgeries.

Andrew Thomas QC, prosecuting, said: “The investigation took place over eight months in 2005, a good year for English sport.

“Liverpool, a popular local team, won the European Cup.

“We say Sporting Icons took advantage of the lucrative market for sporting merchandise. This is not a case of one or two rogue items slipping through the net.

“Of the autographed goods examined in this investigation – about 140 separate items – the overwhelming majority proved to be forgeries.

“Hundreds of other items seized from the Sporting Icons shop were found to have counterfeit trademarks.”

Mr Thomas said the charges were only a sample of many hundreds of forged and counterfeit goods sold or offered for sale by Sporting Icons.

He said prosecutors had relied on evidence from a handwriting expert and some stars themselves, including Carragher, Gerrard, Owen and Wilkinson who have denied signing the items.

Walker, of Mountain View Close, Connah’s Quay, Deeside, and Madani, of Grange Road, Stockport, deny the charges and responsibility for producing the fakes. The pair claim the goods were bought in good faith and from reputable sources.

Mr Thomas said: “The defendants were involved in selling effectively worthless items to the public. Customers paid premium prices in the belief that they were buying genuine goods, such as items autographed by their heroes.

“In short, they were ripping fans off.”

Mr Thomas told the jury that in 2002 Madani had paid George Best compensation of £10,000 after he was caught selling fake autographs of the footballing legend.

He showed the jury an e-mail in which Walker threatened Wilkinson’s rep- resentatives with court action and “exposure to the media” because the company had requested proof that the autograph for sale was genuine.

The jury were told raids of Walker’s house recovered pieces of paper which had been used to practise the signatures of Wayne Rooney and Pele.

Mr Thomas said: “Mr Walker, when interviewed, told investigators he didn’t realise he had broken the trademark rules.

“I can tell you that in July 1999, in this court, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply trademarked items without consent.

“The offence related to a factory run by Mr Walker which produced Calvin Klein perfume.

“According to Mr Walker, Mr Madani was responsible for supplying 80% or 90% of the Sporting Icons stock, although Mr Madani disputes that.”

The case continues.