A MEDICAL student from East Lancashire has been told by a judge he must pay up more than £21,000 for a wheel caps scam.

If Raees Usman doesn't find the money, according to Judge Nicholas Barker, he will face a 12-month jail sentence.

An earlier hearing at Burnley Crown Court was told that Usman, from Haslingden, had cheated various motoring giants out of more than £84,500.

But a further investigation by Lancashire County Council established the amount of profit he eventually actually made was £48,633.

Prosecutors say he had assets of £21,391, which he must repay within three months or face jail.

Trading standards launched an investigation after complaints were made by eBay customers who had done business with a seller known as 'autoshine15'.

An investigator, Julie Anne Mullen, ordered four 'BMW' caps from the seller's page.

But when they were checked out by a brand protection manager for the German car giant they were found to be counterfeit.

The trail then led to the home of accounts clerk Usman, in Blackburn Road, Haslingden, who later admitted he had been buying wheel centre caps from China for 60p and then selling them on for a profit.

Just under 880 wheel caps were found in various locations around the premises, the court was told.

Around 340 were 'Ford', a further 297 were 'Jaguar', 77 were 'BMW', 58 were 'Audi', another 47 labelled 'Porsche', with one 'Land Rover' cap.

Thirty-five of the caps had already been placed in addressed padded envelopes, ready for delivery.

More wheel caps were discovered in a garden shed outside, the court was told.

Interviewed by trading standards officers later, Usman confessed that he had been carrying on the trade for around two to three years.

His barrister, Marianne Alton, said her client had been 'naive' but had come clean to the county council officers when quizzed.

Usman pleaded guilty to to seven trade mark offences and was given a 12-month community order, including 200 hours community service and a three-month curfew.

Recorder Christopher Hudson said: "If I thought this was a professional operation then I would have no qualms about sending you to prison for a significant length of time."