Bootleg ebooks worth £10m seized from Staffordshire market trader

Counterfeit ebooks worth more than £10 million were seized after trading standards officers investigated a market stall trader from Staffordshire.

Marc Andrew Nixon was out to "make a fast buck" by selling computer games, ebooks and other devices, some with a shop price of about £1,000, for as little as £2, a court heard. The 38-year-old was caught by trading standards officers selling the items at knock-down prices on a market stall after they received a tip-off from a computer company.

Officers swooped as Nixon, of Church Street, Chadsmoor, Cannock, sold at a market close to the Shropshire border with mid-Wales.

During a search of his home, hundreds of application devices, music albums, games, films and thousands of ebooks were discovered.

At a hearing at Mold Crown Court, Nixon admitted 11 charges under the trade mark and counterfeiting acts.

Mr Gareth Roberts, prosecuting, told the court: "This was potentially a lucrative business. These figures may be massively inflated but if all the items had been sold the music discs alone could have realised £64,284. The application discs could have made £58,200.

"And it may be an over statement but the ebooks could have made £10.2m."

Mr Daniel Oscroft, for Nixon, told Friday's hearing that his client had started in business legitimately selling second hand printer ink cartridges but moved on to other products "to make a fast buck".

He said that although the potential for profit was high Nixon was not making such large profits. He is £8,000 in debt and living at his father's address with his wife and son.

Nixon was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid community work and told to pay £4,000 towards prosecution costs.