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Dodgy DVD trader must pay £70,000 back

A trader from the Black Country who pocketed nearly £70,000 by selling counterfeit DVDs over the internet has been ordered to pay all of the money back.

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Simon Newby, who was director at Sinew Enterprises Ltd, benefited from his criminal conduct to the tune of £69,521, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

And the 33-year-old, from Bickon Drive, Quarry Bank, has been ordered to pay back the full amount within three months or face a two-year prison sentence in default.

Recorder Nigel Baker QC made the confiscation order during a short proceeds of crime hearing at the court.

He was told the assets available to Newby was exactly that sum - meaning he had the resources to him to pay the money back.

Newby pleaded guilty to 28 offences under the Trademarks Act and was jailed for 16-months in June 2014.

Raids had been carried out by Dudley Trading Standards at his business premises in Dudley Road, Brierley Hill, and home.

At the time, the court was told Newby had originally set up a legitimate business selling car cleaning chemicals.

But the profits from selling the DVDs had become so great they overtook the legitimate business.

Burning towers, computers, printers and 1,800 counterfeit DVDs were seized during the police raids.

Newby used false names when setting up websites and accounts, which he claimed was done to stop junk mail.

The DVDs were sold between October 2008 and April 2010.

Newby admitted seven counts of applying a sign identical to a registered trademark and a further seven counts of selling items with a sign which could be mistaken for a registered trademark.

The remaining 14 counts were possession of goods with a sign identical to a registered trademark.

The court was told Newby had believed the programmes and films were in the public domain.

At the proceeds of crime hearing, Mr Mark Jackson, prosecuting on behalf of Dudley Council, said an agreement had been reached on the amount Newby had benefited from his crime.

"The defendant benefited from his criminal conduct to the sum of £69,521 and that is exactly the amount the defendant has available to him," he said.

Mr Simon Williams, defending, confirmed this was the case and requested his client be given the full three months to pay back the sum.

There was no order made for prosecution costs.

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