Dodgy salesman with counterfeit DVDs and CDs is spared from jail

A dodgy salesman was caught with a stash of counterfeit DVDs and CDs which he was planning to sell on after he has been struggling with his finances.
Chesterfield magistrates' court.Chesterfield magistrates' court.
Chesterfield magistrates' court.

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard how Leslie Thomas Trueman, 58, was spotted by police putting the goods into the boot of a car at Pit Lane, Pleasley.

Prosecuting solicitor Angela Hadfield said: “Officers went to Pit Lane, Pleasley, and saw a male putting something in a carrier bag and into the boot of a car.

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“They spoke to him and he identified himself and said, ‘you’ve got me’.”

Police discovered 119 DVDs and CDs in Trueman’s hands, according to Mrs Hadfield, which were counterfeit and they also found five packets of cigarettes without a duty stamp.

He told police he had bought the DVDs and CDS from a car boot sale for £25 and was selling them on for £1.50 to £2 each to make some money because he is in financial difficulties.

Trueman, of Mount Street, Mansfield, pleaded guilty to possessing counterfeit DVDs and CDs after the discovery.

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Defence solicitor David Gittins said: “He pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. It’s a low-level for an offence of this nature and it had not involved thousands of pounds worth of DVDs and CDs.

“There was no distribution network involved. He had simply bought the goods from a market intending to sell them on for a profit of about £200.

“He saw an opportunity and took it.”

Magistrates sentenced Trueman on October 6 to 12 weeks of custody suspended for 12 months with a £115 victim surcharge after the offence was committed on July 2.