This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/london/8172694.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Father and sons DVD gang jailed | Father and sons DVD gang jailed |
(11 minutes later) | |
A father and his two sons who made up to £7m from a pirate DVD scam have been jailed at Southwark Crown Court. | |
Sami Sheikh, 28, and brother Rafi, 26, of North Chingford, east London, were each jailed for six years. | Sami Sheikh, 28, and brother Rafi, 26, of North Chingford, east London, were each jailed for six years. |
They were earlier found guilty of conspiring to break copyright laws, trademark laws and acquire criminal property between 2003 and 2006. | |
Khalid Sheikh, 53, who lived with his sons, was convicted of the copyright plot and jailed for four years. | |
Benefit claims | |
A fourth man, Xin Li, 34, of Victoria Road, Walthamstow, east London, was sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment, after being found guilty of concealing criminal property. | |
During the trial the court heard the gang ran a "sophisticated" operation and imported equipment from the Far East to copy new films like Ice Age 2, the Da Vinci Code and Iron Man to the "best industry standards possible". | |
The gang, which employed "largely illegal Chinese immigrants", produced hundreds of thousands of DVDs in "factories" housed in several semi-detached houses across London. | |
The DVDs were then sold on the street for as little as £3. | |
The father and sons, who claimed benefits, also produced pornographic and bestiality films to such an extent that some sex film shops were driven out of business, the court heard. |