A DEALER in memorabilia from Bury has admitted he was guilty of "sharp practice" in selling fake autographs of film stars including Roger Moore and Kate Winslett to fans.

Dealer Larry Bore had last year denied a number of trading standards and deception charges arising out of supposedly autographed pictures of the former James Bond and the star of Titanic.

The signed pictures, and others of Helena Bonham-Carter, Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman, which all had certificates of authenticity or stickers "guaranteeing" they were genuine, were on sale at Bore's Hollywood Store stand at a memorabilia show at Birmingham's NEC in November 2000.

The stars had all signed prosecution statements saying the signatures were not theirs and prosecutor Barry Berlin told the court they were all willing to attend to give evidence.

In December, Bore, aged 47, of Campbell Close, Walshaw, pleaded guilty to 14 trading standards charges of applying false trade descriptions to pictures, supplying pictures with false descriptions or offering to supply them.

Seven months later he pleaded not guilty to 11 more allegations.

He also denied six charges of offering to supply goods with false trade descriptions, relating to supposedly autographed pictures of stars including the cast of the American sit-com Friends and Star Wars actors Jeremy Bulloch and Temuera Morrison.

At the start of his trial on Monday, Mr Berlin said the new charges would not be pursued because the man who bought the alleged fakes lives in America and has "point blank refused" to come to this country to give evidence.

And he pointed out that, in relation to the charges admitted by Bore, who also accepts 27 other offences to be taken into consideration: "There is now a basis of plea which is acceptable -- that it was sharp practice and an acceptance that a substantial proportion of his stock was counterfeit."

The case was adjourned until next month for a pre-sentence report on Bore, who was granted bail. Judge Marten Coates said prison was "a realistic possibility", and said: "I think anyone dislikes someone who takes the public for a ride to line their own pockets."