Alston illegal copied Beatles album seller jailed
A Cumbrian man who sold bootleg albums of Beatles music has been jailed.
Paul Parkin was charged after police and trading standards officers raided his home in West View, Alston, following a tip-off by the British Recorded Music Industry Limited.
Bootleg vinyl LPs and illegal copies of music CDs were recovered.
At an earlier hearing the 57-year-old pleaded guilty to 23 offences. The judge at Carlisle Crown Court sentenced him to four months in jail.
Ten of the charges Parkin admitted were specimen counts of attempting to distribute vinyl records, with the other 13 being counts of possession of goods with intent to cause loss to another.
The records were all by The Beatles and included albums such as Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Rubber Soul, White Unplugged Album, At The Hollywood Bowl and Please, Please Me.
Angela Jones, trading standards service manager for Cumbria County Council, said: "Internet trading has made it easier for individuals to distribute counterfeit goods.
"The unauthorised use of registered trademarks damages legitimate traders who trade lawfully.
"Anyone found to be selling or distributing counterfeit goods can face prosecution, confiscation of illegally earned assets or even - as Parkin has found out to his cost - imprisonment."