UK men escape prison for running counterfeit operation

Two UK men who sold counterfeit DVDs and operated a pornographic “movie enterprise” have avoided going to prison.

Philip Pitman and John Jones, from Wales, have been handed suspended prison sentences and fined after an investigation by officers from Rhondda Cynon Taf council’s trading standards (TS) team.

According to officers, the men developed a “counterfeit DVD, CD and pornographic movie enterprise” and made around £25,000 ($37,000)  from sales.

Pitman was found to have 8,353 counterfeit discs. He was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £500 costs.

Jones had more than 600 counterfeit CDs and DVDs, which had a commercial value of £1,800. He was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for two years.

The amount of counterfeit products seized from Pitman’s home following a search in December 2011 was so large that officers had to use three vans to take them away, TS officers claimed.

Pitman’s haul included counterfeit films, some of which were pornographic, CDs, blank discs, printing and packaging materials, and mobile phones.

On the same day, 640 discs, and printing and packaging material were seized from Jones.

The pair were sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on March 18.

At an earlier hearing before sentencing, Pitman admitted 15 offences under the UK Trade Marks Act and Jones admitted eight.