Internet pirate forced to repay £30,000

A pirate DVD trader from Bolton has been ordered to pay back £30,000 of his fortune after pleading guilty to selling counterfeit DVDs on the Internet.
Tahir Mahmood, 27, of Rochdale, profited from selling large quantities of illegal DVDs, music CDs and games online over a significant period of time, and even kept detailed records of his customers.
He was sentenced to 51 weeks intermittent imprisonment by Bolton Crown Court after a joint operation between the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and the Police.
Following an investigation into his financial affairs, during which police accessed all personal assets, Mahmood received a £30,000 proceeds of crime order on the July 29. The order requires him to pay back the full sum to the Crown from his assets over a period of 18 months. Failure to comply will result in a further 18 months in prison, with the sum remaining payable.
Mahmood, who traded under a range of assumed names on various websites, was closely monitored by FACT over a period of time allowing its investigators to compile a dossier of evidence. He was arrested after ignoring ‘stop and desist’ letters sent by FACT warning him to stop trading illegally.
Commenting on the proceeds of crime order, Roger Hamilton, a FACT Senior Investigator, said: “The sentencing and proceeds of crime order shows both how seriously trading of illegally copied DVDs and other entertainment media is taken by the enforcement agencies, and also their determination to ensure profits made as a result of this illegal activity are reclaimed by the Crown.
“What may seem to many members of the public a low level crime has a serious impact - with each purchase of an illegally copied DVD, buyers are unwittingly supporting a criminal lifestyle.”
Anyone who is aware of pirate DVD activity can report it anonymously by calling the FACT hotline on 0845 60 34567.
(GB)