Great Cornard man John Williams pleads guilty to sale of fake DVDs

A 72-year-old man has pleaded guilty to selling fake DVDs, after more than 40,000 were seized from his home.

John Williams, of Pot Kiln Road, in Great Cornard, near Sudbury, pleaded guilty to two offences related to the sale, supply and manufacturer of counterfeit DVDs today.

The films were seized from Mr Williams’ home in October 2021, alongside computers, disc burners, a colour photo copier and print-outs of case covers.

Williams first became known to Suffolk Trading Standards when they received a report of fake cult and classic DVDs being sold on a website. Test purchases were carried out, and they were confirmed as fake.

Forensic analysis of the seized computers also found that Williams had sold fake DVDs when attending film and TV fairs, mainly in London, and that he sold discs had a wide network of customers in the UK and abroad.

Appearing at Ipswich Crown Court today, Williams pleaded guilty to one offence under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 and one under the Trademark Act 1994.

His sentencing will be on July 24, 2023.

Cllr Andrew Reid, cabinet member responsible for public health and public protection, thanked Trading Standards, the Film Content Protection Agency and the National Trading Standards eCrime team for their work in Williams’ case.