Rugby league player Gareth Raynor admits internet scam

Raynor's home was raided by trading standards officers

A Great Britain rugby league player has admitted being behind a fake ink cartridge and computer game scam worth at least £36,000.

Gareth Raynor, 32, pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to 14 counts of fraud and counterfeiting.

The court heard how Raynor ran a web company called Genuine-Ink and sold low quality ink on Ebay passing it off as high-quality named brands.

The former Hull FC player will be sentenced at a later date.

Raynor signed for Crusaders in Wrexham in January.

The court was told Raynor imported and reconditioned second-hand ink cartridges from China and re-packaged them using glossy inner and outer packaging made to look like genuine brands such as Epson, Canon and Hewlett Packard.

Nintendo DS and Gameboy cartridges were also imported and sold on the same false basis via the auction website.

Trading standards officers with East Riding of Yorkshire Council raided his home in Brough in August 2008 and he was later charged.

Computers used by Raynor were seized in the raid and revealed a series of emails in which he was in effect asking his suppliers to make sure the fake goods appeared to be as genuine as possible.