Universities say the case should serve as a warning to others

Liverpool businessman Peter Leon Quinn continued producing the certificates in defiance of an injunction obtained by Universities UK in February 2000.

The universities, realising he was still in business, pursued an application for contempt of court.

The High Court in London has upheld the complaint and sentenced Quinn to 12 months' jail, suspended for two years.

'Extremely serious'

Katrina Mulligan, acting on behalf of Universities UK, said Quinn had said in evidence: "I would like to point out that I am not awarding these fake degrees, I'm selling them or creating and supplying them to clients' specifications."

She said she was "very pleased with the result" because the suspended sentence would be hanging over him for two years.

Universities UK said: "The universities will pursue any other cases and this outcome should be a warning to any potential infringers."

It said the production of fake degree certificates was an extremely serious matter that was of immediate concern to all the universities when it had come to light.

"It is essential to protect the public as well as bona fide graduates to ensure that any document in the name of a UK university represents the genuine achievement of graduates."

Its chief executive, Diana Warwick, said: "The risks to the public caused by fake qualifications are obvious and unacceptable."

Via a website, Quinn offered what he made clear were fake degree certificates apparently from universities in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand.

The site said: "All the documents I produce are authentic looking workable items, in the main they are accepted as the genuine article."