A FRAUDSTER who flogged dodgy DVDs in Ipswich is behind bars today.

A FRAUDSTER who flogged dodgy DVDs in Ipswich is behind bars today.

Weng Buo Bing, 41, of Stratford in London, was caught by trading standards officers with 203 illegal DVDs during a raid at the Riverside Industrial Estate on Wherstead Road, Ipswich, on Friday.

Bing's collection of counterfeit goods included 50 pornographic titles and new cinema releases such as Sex and the City, Iron Man, and Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

When he appeared at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Saturday he pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing goods with a false trademark, one count of possessing unclassified videos for supply and one count of possessing an article which infringed copyright.

Magistrates sentenced him to a total of 24 weeks in prison for all the offences.

Suffolk County Council's assistant county trading standards officer, Reg Ruffles, said: "By issuing a prison sentence to this seller the court has shown that it recognises the seriousness of the crime.

“This was not just one person making a few quid here and there but someone whose work was damaging local legitimate businesses, be it local cinemas or DVD stores.

“This result sends out a strong message to anyone thinking they can come to Suffolk to sell fake goods - if you get caught then you could end up going to prison for six months.

“ As the car boot season starts, I'd like to urge everyone that as members of the public we can each play a part in wiping out the trade in fake goods and DVDs by not simply not buying them.

“If there is no market for fakes in Suffolk then criminals will not be able to profit at the expense of local firms."

Does more need to be done to crack down on counterfeit sellers in Suffolk? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.