DCSIMG

Porn sellers target builders at schools


Published on Tuesday 20 February 2007 09:40

STREET sellers of counterfeit porn DVDs have been attempting to sell their goods to construction workers building on school sites in Northampton, according to a consumer watchdog.

Now Northamptonshire County Council's trading standards department is working with the police to tackle the problem of hawkers who travel from London to Northampton to sell the blue movies.

Bryan Lewin, head of the department, said that the DVDs had not been offered for sale to pupils or teachers at the unnamed schools – only to construction workers working on new buildings.

He said that the sellers, who are often illegal Chinese immigrants dispatched on the train from Euston to Northampton by criminal gangs to sell illegally- copied porn films, would attempt to sell the goods to anyone they could find on the streets,

Mr Lewin added: "Some of the sellers themselves, but not in all cases, are victims of criminal gangs and are forced into the trade to pay off debts.

"In many of these cases you have a similar situation to the Morecambe Bay cockle pickers where illegal immigrants, particularly from China, are being forced into this activity and other crimes."

He also said people who bought such DVDs were helping to fund organised crime.

Mr Lewin added: "We would advise people not to buy counterfeit goods as all the money goes straight into the pockets of criminals who may be involved in people trafficking and drugs."

Last year trading standards officers, working with the police, prosecuted two London-based counterfeit DVD sellers, Xing Zhi Xue and Anmei Shier.

Xing Zhi Xue was jailed for three months, after being caught selling illegal porn DVDs for a second time, in November last year.

Anmei Shier was jailed for a month after being caught for a third time in August last year.


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