A young Fermanagh couple have appeared before a recent sitting of Fermanagh Magistrates Court in connection with counterfeiting of DVDs and CDs.
Appearing before the court were Thomas Peter Mulligan (37) and Catherine Lorraine Greene (28) both with an address at Carrowshee Park in Lisnaskea.
The court heard that on 24th October 2006 the home of the defendants' was searched and a quantity of counterfeit DVDs and CDs as well as computer equipment was found.
Music and movie files were found on the hard drive of the computer and these matched some of these on the discs.
Police also discovered the defendants were selling some of these DVDs on the internet using ebay.
Greene denied they were selling them saying the discs were for her family.
Mulligan was also found to be in possession of a quantity of fireworks. He told police he had a fireworks licence but the licence didn't cover the type he had.
Defending Greene, Des Fahy, BL, said pleas had been entered to the offences and referred to a 'contrite, frank and honest approach to the probation report.
Mr Fahy said the defendant has been very candid about what her and her partner were involved in.
Mr Fahy said his client is 'devastated' to be before the court and she had initially thought of this as a victimless crime and something that could have gone on for ever.
Ian Turkington, BL, for Mulligan told the court essentially this was the defendant's first offence of dishonesty. Mr Turkington referred to a medical report available to the court and told how his client isn't able to work at the moment.
Mr Turkington said the goods they sold on ebay only amounted to £270 which indicates this to be a 'modest operation'.
Regarding the fireworks the barrister pointed out the defendant had a licence and merely was going to put on a show for the kids and he hadn't realised his licence wasn't valid for these particular fireworks.
Sentencing, Resident Magistrate Liam McNally told the defendants these were regarded as serious charges in that they counterfeited DVDs and contaminated registered trademarks intending others to make a loss while making financial gain for yourselves.
Greene was sentenced to 140 hours community service on the first charge of possession of counterfeit trademarks while she received a conditional discharge for two years on the other charges she faced.
Sentencing Mulligan, Mr McNally said every disposal that could be used had been tried on the defendant and that the next stop was custody.
On possession of a counterfeit registered trademark belonging to the BBC he was fined £250 and sentenced to five months in prison, suspended for two years.
A conditional discharge was imposed on the remaining fifteen trademark charges. On the fireworks charges the defendant was fined £100 and had another conditional discharge imposed on him.
