DVD faker who owes £39,000 must pay £1

A Black Country shopkeeper who made and sold more than 40,000 counterfeit DVDs and CDs has been ordered to pay back just £1.

Sameer Husseiny, aged 52, cost the film and music industry an estimated £310,000 because of the scam at his Dudley High Street shop.

Yesterday a court ruled that he owed £39,000 — but since he has no recoverable assets, he should pay back just £1.

Husseiny is serving a three-and-a-half year jail sentence after a set-up of computer equipment and duplicators was found at his Ace Disks store.

The father-of-three, of Woodland Street, Smethwick, admitted selling fake DVDs and CDs for as little as £1 each from his shop, the flats above, and on ebay.

It cost the entertainment industry an average of £7.35 per disk in lost income, trading standards officers claim.

The operation was uncovered when Sandwell trading standards officers raided the shop on May 3, 2007, following information gathered at Great Bridge Market.

They found more than 30,000 fake discs, along with computer equipment and four disc duplicators.

While on bail for those offences, trading standards officers again raided the store in December 2009, when they found an additional 10,000 discs and two new disc duplicators.

The court previously heard that the store was selling Hollywood blockbusters including 300, Zodiac and White Noise for £1 and £2.

The Wolverhampton Crown Court hearing yesterday was held to decide how much could be recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Husseiny has 14 days to pay the £1. If he ever comes into money again he will still be required to pay the £39,000.

Mr Alexander Stein, defending, had disputed the estimated cost to the industry so the £39,000 figure was agreed with the prosecution.

Mr Stein argued that it could not be assumed that all customers would have paid a higher price for a DVD if a fraudulent £1 copy had not been available.

Husseiny had admitted six offences, including being in possession of articles designed or adapted to make copies.