A MAN was found selling fake film and music discs worth more than £28,000 at a North Yorkshire market, a court heard.

Selby magistrates were told the man had more than 800 DVDs, CDs and computer games, including 40 "adult" films, for sale on his stall at Selby Market.

David Durkin admitted three specimen charges of selling goods bearing a false trademark on August 21 and four of possessing an unclassified video recording for supply on August 28 last year.

Durkin was spotted by trading standards officers, who made a test purchase at his stall on August 21.

They returned the following week when Durkin was again seen selling counterfeit goods.

The officers arrested him and seized 842 items from his stall.

David Titchener, prosecuting for North Yorkshire Trading Standards, said the items included 60 films, plus 40 "adult" films, computer games and DVDs.

He said there were also 244 CDs, which contained 1,670 music albums that had been digitally recorded. These alone, he said, would be worth £28,000 if sold normally in shops.

Durkin claimed he was employed by a man he knew only as "Wiggy", and would receive £25 for the day, regardless of how many items he sold.

Mr Titchener said Durkin also claimed he was not aware the goods were counterfeit at first.

But he soon realised they were fake, and thought he would escape punishment because the items were in a digitally compressed form.

Durkin, of Scawsby, near Doncaster, who represented himself, told magistrates: "I just plead guilty to it."

Presiding magistrate Dr Marilyn Jones told Durkin they would not tolerate the sale of counterfeit goods in Selby.

She said: "Selling counterfeit goods causes losses to local retailers and to the original artists, which is totally unacceptable."

Durkin was ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid community work and to pay costs of £955.

Updated: 09:18 Saturday, June 26, 2004