A Whitehawk trader has been fined for selling pirate DVDs of classic films.
Barry Lee, 53, sold copies of The Italian Job, White Christmas, Gran Torino and The Widow Maker for £1 each at his shop, Barry the Hat, in The Broadway, Brighton.
On Tuesday, he was fined £575 and ordered to pay costs of £750 and a £15 victim surcharge by Brighton Magistrates’ Court.
Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, a member of Brighton and Hove City Council‘s cabinet, said: “This successful prosecution by our trading standards team sends out a warning to other traders thinking of selling counterfeit goods.
“As Christmas approaches we would urge residents to be extra vigilant when buying presents, ensuring that the goods they purchase are the genuine article, and to let us know where counterfeit products are being sold.”
The bench heard the fake films were found by police, who alerted Brighton and Hove City Council’s trading standards team.
An investigation confirmed the DVDs were counterfeit, and on Tuesday, Lee, of Cuthman’s Close, Whitehawk, admitted 13 offences under the Trade Marks Act.
