Syed Ali sold illegal, pirated CDs on online marketplace Ebay
An Ebay trader who was handed a suspended jail sentence for selling pirate CDs has been ordered to pay Brent Council £60,000 or face prison.
Brent and Harrow Trading Standards Service (BHTSS) secured the confiscation order against Syed Ali as a result of his conviction.
He had admitted six offences under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 at an earlier trial and was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
Last week at Willesden Magistrates Court he was ordered to pay back the sum within six months or be sent to jail for 15 months and pay the council’s prosecution costs of £2,600 within 28 days.
Ali, who lives in Harrow, was snared after BHTSS bough a number of CDs from him which where confirmed as illegal, pirated copies.
When BHTSS officers raided his home in October last year they seized 2,843 CDS and computer equipment used to make the copies.
The order was made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 which came into force to strip criminals of their ill-gotten gains.
Bill Bilon, the head of BHTSS, said: “I hope that this case sends out a clear message that trading in counterfeit goods and illicit pirate copies on Ebay doesn’t pay.
“Those engaged in these kinds of activities will not just get a criminal record but they may also face being stripped of their assets.
“The Proceeds of Crime Act is a powerful piece of legislation and we will continue to use it to deprive those who choose to act in a criminal manner.”
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