Gary Fenn, age 35, from Ilford, Essex was sentenced yesterday to 15 months imprisonment at Snaresbrook Crown Court for Conspiracy to Defraud the film industry and another 15 months for Conspiracy to Defraud the music industry – both sentences to run concurrently.

Fenn is currently serving a five year jail term for making indecent images of children and yesterday’s sentence is to run consecutively. The Judge recommended that seven and a half months be served in prison and the remainder on licence.

Also sentenced yesterday at Snaresbrook was Fenn’s co-defendant Paul Tooley, age 31, from Chadwell St Mary, Essex, who received a jail term of 10 months for Conspiracy to Defraud the film industry and 10 months for Conspiracy to Defraud the music industry (both sentences to run concurrently). The Judge also made a recommendation that he serve five months in prison and five months on licence.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to these Conspiracy charges. Whilst Tooley is a co-conspirator in this case, he was not involved in the making of indecent images of children.

The case was prosecuted by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and the organisation was awarded full costs by the Court. In addition, all property seized, including computers and equipment, was ordered for destruction.

Both Fenn and Tooley were manufacturing pirate DVDs and CDs and selling them on local markets and via advertisements and were arrested in May 2004.

Kieron Sharp, FACT Director General commented: “I am pleased that another FACT prosecution has been so successful. Both defendants were involved in a film and music piracy operation that was making them thousands of pounds and was deliberately intended to defraud legitimate FACT member companies.

This is also another example of the other very serious criminality with which film piracy can be associated. FACT is increasingly able to evidence this associated criminality and bring it to the public’s attention. ”