A BUSINESSMAN convicted of trademark offences has been fined and warned he could face 14 days in jail if he does not pay up.

Alexander Dobbing, 59, was previously found guilty of seven offences in relation to the false use of a trademark following a Teesside Crown Court trial.

The charges arose from a police search of a jewellers in Darlington belonging to Dobbing, D&H Jewellers, in the Queen Street arcade, in June 2011.

During the search 19 mobile phones and an MP3 player were found packaged as ‘premium brand’ items such as Cartier, Rolex, and Versace, when they were not.

At the sentencing hearing Dobbing’s barrister Christopher Knox criticised what he called the "protracted and excessive" investigation into his client and claimed police had “put the squeeze” on his business by removing hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of stock.

He said Dobbing, who also trades as Kings Jewellers Ltd, was a small businessman who earned a modest income over the years and lived in a modest home with his wife.

Judge Howard Crowson said he was content to deal with the matter by way of a fine. He fined Dobbing, of Ashdale Court, Sunderland, £490 and said he could be jailed for 14 days, in default.