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WALTHAM FOREST: Dodgy DVD seller runs

10:20am Thursday 17th January 2008

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A MAN selling bootleg DVDs dropped his stash and fled after he spotted a Guardian photographer.

We found 87 pirate discs concealed in a black bin bag lying in bushes at Leyton Mills shopping centre car park.

The films included titles such as The Sweeney Todd and American Gangster, which are yet to be released in Britain, as well as several pornographic movies.

Some were recorded on cameras inside American cinemas.

In one, the cinema's audience was clearly audible while in another we could make out only half the picture.

The DVD seller initially approached the Guardian reporter and photographer, then hid behind a lorry and disappeared.

We have now handed the films to the police.

Community safety cabinet member, Cllr Afzal Akram, said: "I am delighted with the Guardian's discovery.

"I would urge anyone who makes a similar find to hand them to the Trading Standards department or the police.

"I would urge anyone considering buying an illegal DVD to consider the fact that they are funding organised crime like prostitution, people trafficking and drug smuggling."

Eddy Levinten is a spokesman for the Feder-ation Against Copyright Theft (FACT).

And he said: "We are warning the public agai-nst purchasing knock-off DVDs and contributing to organised crime in Waltham Forest.

"People who do are wasting their money on a drastically inferior product as well as harming local businesses who sell legitimate DVDs."

The haul of illegal DVDs comes just a month after police seized 40,000 pirate films with a street value of £100,000 in Warner Road, Walthamstow, last month.

In 2006 the Guardian ran a campaign urging readers not to buy dodgy DVDs.

The move was in response to sightings of DVD sellers, often exploited or trafficked migrant workers, operating across the borough.

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Alan Smith, says...
11:17am Thu 17 Jan 08

If the Police are looking to improve their performance figures, they could just drop by Asda car park and nick these jokers. They are ALWAYS there. How hard can it be?

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Frank, Leyton says...
12:56pm Thu 17 Jan 08

I agree Alan. It is getting to the stage where I have to fight my through these people to get to ASDA's or the gym. They are not agressive but just a pain in the arse. "DVD, DVD" is all you seem to hear when in Leyton Mills. I have not seen one Police officer approach them although community support officers are often seen.

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david, walthamstow says...
1:05pm Thu 17 Jan 08

i agree with the above comments, they are always over asdas car park, if counterfeit dvds are so much of a problem and so illegeal then get over there, nick them and lock them away!!!!!! its not difficult they are always there approaching people.

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Mike, the stow says...
2:20pm Thu 17 Jan 08

At least when they sell them in the little park by the shopping centre in Walthamstow, they make the effort to lay them out on a small rug for the browsing pleasure of passers by.

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Freddy, Walthamstow says...
5:13pm Thu 17 Jan 08

they keep doing raids on these people & getting nowhere. Ive just read a report from 4th August 2006 in this paper where it said the following

"Five men and two women, all Chinese nationals, were prosecuted under the Theft Act and the Trademark Act and fined at Waltham Forest Magistrates Court. All were served injunctions by the council banning them from entering the Leyton Mills shopping centre.

However less than a week later, they returned to flog cinema titles including Pirates of the Caribbean II and Superman Returns"

Theres more on the report but too long to put in here. And theres other reports from other months as well.

Maybe everyone should take their photo on camera phones even if they dont do anything with it after :--) might scare them if everyones against them.

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david, walthamstow says...
10:20pm Thu 17 Jan 08

ha ha ha ha ha love the comments above lol

took my car to the garage once, turned around saw some fella standing there, i said hi, thinking he was another customer or a worker and he replied deeeeeeeeveeeeeeeede
eeeeee...........blo
ody hell cant even collect me car in peace ha ha ha ha ha

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Andrew Hatton, says...
5:57am Fri 18 Jan 08

On Leyton Orient Match Days there are usually dozens of police nearby, invariably unnecessarily "policing" passive tiny crowds (get down to Brisbane Rd to see exciting games at much less than Premiership prices) whilst this illegal trade goes on perpetuated presumably by ill spoken immigrants who are trying to get a few bob to survive whilst the importers and distributors take the profits.

What is needed is a determined STING operation.

This business seems to have overtaken the dodgy fag trade of a few years ago, although I have not been to Holloway Rd lately, so it could still be thriving there?

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FWB, Leytonstone says...
2:08pm Fri 18 Jan 08

The police say to phone 999 if we see a DVD seller as they can prevent a crime in progress. I feel silly phoning 999 but I do still phone the local number. However I've then got through to a police operator who didn't know where Leyton Mills was, and said they were unable to look up the address of B&Q, Asda etc - so if I didn't have the full address they couldn't do anything. I don't bother calling now... Although I have noticed that they frequently change / swap clothes - by the end of my call, the sellers had changed from the descriptions I gave. The police need to make the effort on this one.

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Real DVD buyer, Waltham Forest says...
2:53pm Fri 18 Jan 08

I would also suggest calling the police at the time. I've seen plenty of these fake-DVD sellers around the TK Maxx shop. I've even seen two of them, one on each side of the doorway with a TK Maxx security guard doing nothing.

If you don't want to call 999, call the local police on 020 8556 8855 and let them know what is happening there and then.
Best of all, and you know who you are, stop buying the DVDs from them.

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brenda, e4 says...
4:06pm Fri 18 Jan 08

When you go to TK Max at leyton mills the dvd sellers stand inside the shop by the door surelt this must mean that TK Max condone this because they are trading on thier premises

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FWB, Leytonstone says...
5:51pm Fri 18 Jan 08

Real DVD buyer wrote:
I would also suggest calling the police at the time. I've seen plenty of these fake-DVD sellers around the TK Maxx shop. I've even seen two of them, one on each side of the doorway with a TK Maxx security guard doing nothing. If you don't want to call 999, call the local police on 020 8556 8855 and let them know what is happening there and then. Best of all, and you know who you are, stop buying the DVDs from them.
As I said - if you don't have the full postal address, the police won't help / can't come. It's not enough to say "TK Maxx at Leyton Mills trading estate" - they want the postal address. That's the cause of my frustration...

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cp, e17 says...
11:43am Sat 19 Jan 08

What would happen if as they were holding the DVDs someone was to take them to look at and then run off with them, grabbing their bags at the same time. They wouldn't be able to go to the police but you wouldn't either as you had committed theft.

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Real DVD Buyer, Waltham Forest says...
10:45am Mon 21 Jan 08

TK Maxx
Leyton Mills, Marshall Road, London, E10 5NH

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Jane, Leytonstone says...
3:09pm Tue 22 Jan 08

brenda wrote:
When you go to TK Max at leyton mills the dvd sellers stand inside the shop by the door surelt this must mean that TK Max condone this because they are trading on thier premises
"When you go to TK Max at leyton mills the dvd sellers stand inside the shop by the door surelt this must mean that TK Max condone this because they are trading on thier premises"

I have seen the TK MAXX security guard BUY the DVD's off them, blatantly in the shop doorway!!!
I reported it at Leytonstone Community Council last year also. Can the police put pressure on the businesses to help stop this? I have complained about thie DVD sellers at Leyton Mills to them for years now, ever since my then 9 year old son was subjected to an eyefull of **** that they had laid out on a blanket to sell!!!

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Jane, Leytonstone says...
3:13pm Tue 22 Jan 08

Sorry the word above starred out was P O R N - obviously censored by a filter but in this instance I think you need to know what it was!!

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redman, E11 says...
12:40pm Sun 3 Feb 08

These people wont ben selling if peopel wasnt buying them. I dont buy dvd's and they are the last people i would buy from. I feel sorry for the peopel selling them, but i aint buying some crap knock off dvd's. id rather go to the cinema or wait till it comes on tv.
One of these dvd sellers even approached me when I was fixing my car, they are everywhere now. they are also walking down any streets so when they see someone they ask them if they want to buy a dvd. i guess its to avoid the police.

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Some of the bootleg DVDs found by the Guardian Some of the bootleg DVDs found by the Guardian

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