Man found guilty of selling potentially deadly counterfeit airbags – which may have been installed in hundreds of cars
Robert Czernik sold counterfeit airbags for 28 different car brands online under the username eu_trading
HUNDREDS of potentially deadly airbags may have ended up in cars, a court heard yesterday.
Some 680 people have been told to get vehicles checked after buying fake replacements off car parts dealer Robert Czernik.
Cops found more than 190 covers plus parts for 28 car brands that he bought from China and Poland and sold online.
Tests by Honda found the bags might not have worked in a crash.
Czernik, 35, of Poole, Dorset, got a suspended jail term and 135 hours’ unpaid work after admitting offences under the Trade Marks Act at Inner London crown court.
Detective Sergeant Kevin Ives, from the City of London Police, said: "Czernik has put drivers at risk of serious injury and death by selling counterfeit airbags and covers.
"We have worked tirelessly for more than two years to ensure the successful prosecution of Czernik.
"In partnership with Honda and the Intellectual Property Office, and with the support of other car manufacturers, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit has made sure that Czernik can no longer sell dangerous car parts."