Man caught making and selling illegal discs walks free from court

Smiling for the camera, with two thumbs up, a DVD pirate walked free from court despite his part in an illegal trade at notorious Walton Street Market.

Robert Guiness, 44, of Astwood Avenue, east Hull, produced and traded DVDs, CDs and computer games at the west Hull market, which has been plagued by criminal activity in recent years.

He was found in possession of more than 15,000 discs containing films, music and games, which he had illegally downloaded.

Hull Crown Court heard the haul represented an estimated loss to the music and film industry of more than £144,000.

Guiness pleaded guilty to five counterfeiting charges at an earlier hearing, but was spared jail because the court accepted his account he was a small part of a larger operation.

Instead, his 12-month sentence was suspended for two years.

Despite the judge and police in the case suggesting the sentence sends out a strong message to others, the pictures of Guiness taken outside the court shortly after tell a different story.

He happily posed for the Mail's photographer, showing no sign of shame or remorse.

The court heard he was arrested at his house after a van registered to his address was searched by police on November 17 last year.

The van contained 894 illegal DVDs, 212 CDs and 70 discs containing MP3 files, which had up to 30 albums each on them.

Police conducted a search of his home and found 9,650 DVDs, 457 CDs, 198 MP3 discs and 283 computer games.

They also seized four computer towers, colour printers, blank discs and a guillotine, which Guiness had been using to copy original artwork for films and albums.

He told police in interview he had been producing the items on a small scale, having been paid by someone else.

He was charged with possession of articles for making copies of a trademark and possession of goods with a false trademark for sale or hire and was granted bail by Hull Magistrates' Court.

But on February 20, Guiness was caught on a hidden camera by an investigator from the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society setting up a stall at Walton Street Market.

Police went to his home on March 3 and discovered a laptop in a wardrobe which was downloading from the Internet.

Sentencing Guiness, Judge Roger Thorn QC described the market as a menace, and said he understood illegal trading had now been stopped.

Police and council officials last week imposed a blanket ban on the sale of all audio-visual items to stamp out illegal traders.

Judge Thorn said: "Walton Street Market has been a perfect menace in Hull to such an extent that anyone seems to think they can have a go at selling these items.

"I think I am right in saying that the market in relation to these sales has now had to be stopped.

"These economic crimes are not to be treated lightly, but it seems a large number of the public seem to think it is ok.

"Had Walton Street Market still been trading in these items, I would have had to give you a punitive sentence to set an example to the public which they seem reluctant to learn.

"However, due to the exceptional circumstances in this case, I am able to suspend the sentence for a period of two years."

Guiness was also ordered to do 120 hours unpaid work in the community.