FORMER publican Michael Burton sold inferior gin while claiming it was a superior brand.

Burton, who ran the Swan Inn at Enford but is no longer a licensee, poured gin and vodka bought from a local shop into top branded bottles.

He pleaded guilty to selling vodka out of a Smirnoff vodka bottle but which was not the brand displayed, and the same from a Gordons gin bottle.

He also pleaded guilty to falsely labelling the vodka as being Smirnoff and the gin as being Gordons.

Burton, 54, of Cheney Manor Road, Swindon, appeared at Kennet Magistrates Court in Devizes on Thursday.

Magistrates were told that Burton was caught after two Wiltshire County Council Trading Standards officers carried out a routine inspection at the Swan Inn on February 11.

An officer carried out tests on the Smirnoff vodka and Gordons gin on display, which indicated that the brands were not genuine.

Samples were sent off for analysis and they were found not to be Smirnoff or Gordons brands.

John Devlin, prosecuting, said: "When customers see brands of alcohol on display they expect to be served with the genuine brands. Both Smirnoff and Gordons are significantly more expensive than supermarket brands.

"By his deliberate actions Mr Burton was happy to pass off cheaper products."

Burton, who had no previous convictions, was on the verge of transferring the licence at the pub when the incident was discovered.

Hugh Norman, defending, said two days before the Trading Standards inspection the pub was running low on Smirnoff vodka and Gordons gin and Burton asked a member of staff to go and buy some.

Mr Norman said: "The member of staff bought a bottle of gin and a bottle of vodka from the village shop in either Upavon or Netheravon. That member of staff did not bring back Smirnoff or Gordons but other brands.

"Mr Burton accepts he poured the alcohol into the bottles on optics on display and did so to tide him over. He would usually buy his alcohol from the cash and carry or direct from the drayman.

"The licensee who was taking over from Mr Burton asked him to run down the stocks, which is common, but unfortunately he had miscalculated the alcohol he had. He is very sorry about what happened."

Mr Norman said Burton had been a publican for ten years before this incident and had run pubs in Hertfordshire and Dorset without any problems.

He said he left the Swan Inn in March and the pub trade altogether after he was assaulted.

He said: "He gave up because approximately a year ago he got punched in the face badly. He called the police and reported who it was but they took no action.

"If a publican is going to be punched in the face and nothing is done Mr Burton felt what was the point of putting himself and his family at risk if nothing was going to happen."

He said Burton was now working as a health and safety adviser.

Magistrates fined him a total of £480 and ordered him to pay £500 costs.

They said that he had committed the crime through expedience and not profit, plus it was done over a short period of time and he was of previous good character.