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Illegal porn explosion in Swindon
12:17pm Friday 16th May 2008
Comments (35)ILLEGAL porn films, some featuring animals, are being touted for sale in Swindon town centre.
Trading Standards officers say a haul of unclassified smut seized last week may have been too perverted to comply with sex industry rules.
The pirate films, with a street value of £3,000, were seized from illegal immigrant Zhong Chen.
Around half of the films were of an adult nature.
Chen, 36, of no fixed address, was sentenced to five and a half months in prison on Saturday.
He was caught trying to sell 342 movies on the Elgin Industrial Estate.
Trading Standards officers believe some of the films included depraved sex acts with animals.
They also think that Chen was just one of many people touting pirate DVDs in the town - and that it will not be long before those behind the pirating operation will replace him with another street seller.
"What they have been doing is going round the trading estates and building sites, selling them that way," said Phil Thomas, head of commercial regulation at Swindon Council.
"We have even had some indication of them going into a town centre music shop.
"And we are almost certain this guy will be replaced. We are talking about a national organised crime network.
"I have no doubt that they won't be being choosy about who they are selling whatever to. I don't think they will be asking for ID before selling counterfeit DVDs, some adult material could be making into underage hands.
"We are closing the net on those who are perpetrating the crime and trying to eradicate it from Swindon."
Mr Thomas said the films seized by officers could not legally be sold in the UK.
"These films haven't been through the formal classification process," he said. "We haven't viewed the films, but it was clear from the covers some of them were not very nice.
"We don't think there is any suggestion children were involved - but one of them did include a dog.
"Films like that would never be classified in this country.
"This prosecution was part of a two-month operation involving police and businesses who passed on intelligence to us.
"This man received the near maximum sentence for this offence, which goes to show how serious the magistrates viewed this case."
The owner of a Swindon sex shop blamed the council's refusal to grant licences to sell hardcore material for the spread of the sale of counterfeit films.
Peter Wannell of The Exchange Adult Shop in Cricklade Road, Gorse Hill, said illegal DVD sales were damaging his business - and were flooding Swindon.
He says he cannot compete with the discount prices offered for pirate films.
"There are so many pirated films infiltrating Swindon," said Peter "The town is rife with it and it's a growing problem. It's crippling businesses and my takings are down by 25 per cent this year.
"When you don't have a licence to sell hardcore material there is a market for these people in Swindon.
"It's not only me that is affected. All the video shops are struggling with the counterfeiters selling the normal stuff."
Peter said pirate sellers were touting knock-off DVDs in the Brunel Shopping Centre and had even offered him fake films in his own shop.
Your Say YourSwindon Advertiser
john c, swindon says...
12:53pm Fri 16 May 08
angry monkey, Swindon says...
1:45pm Fri 16 May 08
Would it by like when the death star explodes in return of the jedi?
angry monkey, Swindon says...
1:45pm Fri 16 May 08
Would it by like when the death star explodes in return of the jedi?
PaulD, says...
1:48pm Fri 16 May 08
I'd never seen such things fly through the air before!
Frontier(s), says...
1:59pm Fri 16 May 08
What a farce.
"We haven't viewed the films, but it was clear from the covers some of them were not very nice."
How astonishing. Has this 'expert' not realised that people often use covers for DVDs that are somewhat misleading as to what's actually on the discs?
How can people comment on the content of films they've not even watched?!?
Amused, Happy Land says...
2:43pm Fri 16 May 08
Sounds messy
Amused, Happy Land says...
2:44pm Fri 16 May 08
Lassie come home?
steve-o, Swindon says...
2:49pm Fri 16 May 08
Amused wrote:You wanna walk past St Tropez early morning whrn the bin liners have been kicked all over the place, thats n explosion.
**** explosion? Sounds messy
P.S been told that
Amused, Happy Land says...
2:58pm Fri 16 May 08
The Ron Jemremy of the canine world...
Captain Sensible, Near Swindon says...
3:03pm Fri 16 May 08
LordBelacqua, Swindon says...
3:26pm Fri 16 May 08
BWB, SWINDON says...
4:26pm Fri 16 May 08
Pity Magistrates do not show the same seriousness in cases
of Drug/Violent assults.
Zhong Chen had the wrong person to Defend
him in court.
Jacko, swindon area says...
5:09pm Fri 16 May 08
Frontier(s), says...
5:13pm Fri 16 May 08
Captain Sensible wrote:It is quite amusing how the authorities constantly tell us how evil the pirate DVD trade is, how it's linked to drugs and murder etc., yet spectacularly fail to name where 98% of all those involved with producing and selling pirate DVDs actually come from.
Well, well, more of our immigrant, sorry migrant friends enriching our sociaty with their alternate criminal lifestyles. Well done New Labour for allowing them all in.
Jacko, swindon area says...
5:29pm Fri 16 May 08
Do you like being humped.
Jacko, swindon area says...
5:32pm Fri 16 May 08
Just for havin a few humpty dumpty films.
What is this world comein to.
Robert Feal-Martinez, Swindon says...
5:57pm Fri 16 May 08
sashstaff, Swindon says...
6:06pm Fri 16 May 08
Andy Newell, Swindon says...
6:15pm Fri 16 May 08
Robert Feal-Martinez, Swindon says...
6:32pm Fri 16 May 08
Robert Feal-Martinez, Swindon says...
6:33pm Fri 16 May 08
PaulD, says...
6:35pm Fri 16 May 08
WTF?, Swindon says...
8:16pm Fri 16 May 08
Robert Feal-Martinez wrote:It may be the software but the web team would be responsible for what words gets blanked out and with what.
Andy it's the software, it's done automatically on the forums. The PC world we live in, try typing Dick
**** **** **** ****
Robert Feal-Martinez, Swindon says...
8:20pm Fri 16 May 08
PeeGee, Swindon says...
8:57pm Fri 16 May 08
Casual Observer, Swindon says...
8:44am Sat 17 May 08
PeeGee wrote:LOL - careful though, you'll have that **** Terence trying to put you right (jus' kidding tezzy, don't go analysing it)
I've always avoided swear words thinking that the whole message would be deleted. What a **** wit I've been all this time.
I Too Could Be a Councillor, Swindon says...
3:50pm Sat 17 May 08
That's Labours' fault that is.
who dat?, says...
7:09pm Sat 17 May 08
And we've knicked one - big deal !
Any views from the "Minister for Britishness" or B'Anne'd Wagon on the benefits to our economy ?
Jacko, swindon area says...
9:54am Sun 18 May 08
Frontier(s), says...
10:59am Sun 18 May 08
I Too Could Be a Councillor wrote:HILARIOUS.
I bought one of these DVDs by mistake. That's Labours' fault that is.
Now, you've had your little bit of attention seeking and affirmation from others... please stop.
johnxx111, swindon says...
11:27pm Sun 18 May 08
johnxx111, swindon says...
11:33pm Sun 18 May 08
CK, Swindon says...
12:13am Mon 19 May 08
Would have been cheaper and more effective to simply stick him on the first plane back from whence he came - along with the filth he was peddling.
Oxford, Toothill says...
12:30pm Mon 19 May 08
That's Labours' fault that is. Not that far from the truth I COULD BE A COUNCILLOR (Tell me/us, why aren't you a councillor?). It is known as a fact that many women who have unprotected sex end up in LABOUR, so perhaps this is a cunning plan by Labour to boost its falling membership.
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Swindon Resident, Swindon, Wiltshire says...
12:33pm Fri 16 May 08