Date: 14 August 2006 17:58

FAMILY BUSINESS IN COURT OVER LARGEST ILLEGAL PORN HAUL

A father and son who ran a business copying and selling pirated DVDs had the 
largest haul of illegal pornographic titles ever found in Cambridgeshire.

 Cambridgeshire County Council Trading Standards seized around 1,500 DVDs, 
most of them illegal or unclassified hardcore pornography from the men as 
part of a major operation.

Paul Scattergood and his son Philip were caught selling pirated DVDs on 
Oakington Market as part of a joint operation between Trading Standards and 
the Police last August.

The men's homes were raided and further DVDs and computer copying equipment 
was discovered and seized

Cambridge Magistrates heard, Thursday, how officers swooped on the market to 
look for stolen items, counterfeit goods and carry out routine checks.

On the Scattergood's stall Trading Standards Officers found what appeared to 
be a mixture of unclassified and classified pornographic DVDs and videos for 
sale. Films of this nature must be classified and those classified as R18 
can only be sold at licensed sex shops.

A search of the stall and trader's van revealed 7 CD's, 153 DVD's of 
"mainstream" films, a further 174 DVD's of pornographic material and 52 
pornographic videos.

Officers also found counterfeit DVDs, including titles such as Charlie and 
the Chocolate Factory and the Fantastic Four, which had only just been 
released in cinemas.

The Trading Standards and Police Officers searched the home of Paul 
Scattergood at Delph Court, Stanground. There they found an abundance of 
pornographic DVD's and videos along with computer equipment capable of 
making copies.

They seized the films - 271 video tapes and 856 DVD's - (the majority being 
pornographic) and also the computer equipment.

Officers then went to Philip Scattergood's home at Hanbury, Orton Goldhay, 
Peterborough. There, they found a room containing computer equipment capable 
of copying and producing DVD's and C's. They seized this computer equipment 
and also 39 DVD's of "mainstream films, 62 pornographic DVD's and 2 CD's.

The operation was part of the Police led Operation Hammersmith which aims to 
crack down on the sale of stolen goods at markets and car boot sales.

Both men pleaded guilty to having equipment for making false Trade Marks. 
Paul admitted 15 specimen charges of contravention of the Trade Marks and 
Video Recordings Act while Philip admitted to 14 similar contraventions.

Philip Scattergood, 26, was given a 200 hour community punishment order and 
told to pay £300 in legal costs.

Paul Scattergood, 49, claimed he had run up credit card debts of £6,000, and 
had started to copy and sell DVDs to pay this back. Magistrates asked for a 
report to be made before sentencing.

Cambridgeshire County Councillor John Reynolds, who accompanied officers on 
the operation, said: "I was privileged to watch a text book joint operation 
between the Police and Trading Standards. Carrying out these joint raids are 
not uncommon but what surprised everyone was the size of the haul of 
pornographic films. These films are licensed and classified for a very good 
reason and I praise the work of Trading Standards and the Police for 
removing them from sale."

The other agencies involved in the operation were Cambridgeshire County 
Council Trading Standards, which targeted counterfeit goods; the Joint 
Shadow Economy Team (JOSET), which looked for people working while on 
benefits or without paying tax; and HM Revenue and Customs, which checked 
stalls for the illegal sale of alcohol or tobacco; Federation Against 
Copyright Theft (FACT).

John Reynolds