AN OFF-LICENCE owner and his partner continued to sell illegal alcohol despite warnings, a court heard.

Salman Isbir and Elif Gunduz are charged with six counts of selling counterfeit wine, and four relating to the sale of illegal Drop vodka.

Prosecutor Duncan Milne told Bournemouth Magistrate’s Court that 36 bottles displaying fake Jacob’s Creek labels were seized from Isbir UK Ltd shops in Old Christchurch Road and Wimborne Road during inspections in June, August and December 2011.

Trading standards officers, who identified obvious spelling errors on the wine labels, also seized four bottles of Drop vodka from the Winton store in November 2011.

When tested the spirit contained about 25.3 per cent alcohol by volume and harmful chemical methanol.

Mr Milne said: “With each seizure trading standards sent letters to the business explaining that counterfeit wines had been sold.

“It happened not once but three times at each store.

“They knew what was happening and either consented or turned a blind eye.”

Isbir is also accused of selling 126 bottles of the vodka to brothers Hamza and Harun Oturak after the seizure in November.

Isbir, 42, was then the business owner, while Gunduz, 42, was company secretary.

The pair, who are married but separated and have three children, were licence holders and designated premises supervisors for the two shops.

In his defence Isbir, of Wimborne Road, said he had not realised the wines were counterfeit until the seizures as his English was poor.

Through an interpreter, he said staff members Bektas Isbir – his brother – and Resul Memisoglu were in charge of stock purchase, and both had since returned to Turkey.

He denied the sale to the Oturak brothers, claiming they made up the story because he sacked Hamza several years ago.

Gunduz, of Iford Road, said she had nothing to do with the alcohol side of the business or stock purchase.

In December 2011 the company was bought by Ms Gunduz and renamed Bournemouth Convenience Stores Ltd, although no money changed hands.

The verdict is due on July 4.