News

Milford DVD counterfeiter escapes jail sentence

Published

7 years ago

September 2, 2014

dvds A MAN who was found guilty of manufacturing counterfeit DVDs narrowly missed being put into custody for contempt of on Monday (Sept 1).
Damian John Hill, also known as ‘Nesbitt’, of Observatory Avenue, Hakin, pleaded not guilty to the eleven charges, but admitted that he did know how to make copies of counterfeit DVDs. But his shouting and questioning of the prosecutor left the bench at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court unamused.
CPS prosecutor, Jeff Harris said: “The charge related to 440 DVDs that were taken from his home address on April 23. 123 DVDs out of the 440 were examined and 64 were found to have been burned onto disc from a computer, with the sleeves printed out and put on them. The 11 offences resemble the different trade mark symbols. DVDs had been downloaded legally, but any further copying is illegal.”
Mr Harris added: “The prosecution say that by printing off the Disney, Dreamworks, and Universal logos he breached legislation and the defendant was seeking to make a gain. As well as the DVDs, three laptops, three PC towers, a colour printer and a guillotine were seized. There is also evidence that some DVDs were burned to disc from Hill’s personal computer”.
A defiant Hill told the court: “I fail to see the offence I’ve committed. I bought the DVDs from Freddie X who proactively sells DVDs on Facebook. I bought them in a box and there were duplicates in there I said I’d have whatever he’s got left because I wanted the cases, not the DVDs themselves. I wanted the cases because I’ve done lots of wedding videos for people and I need the cases because you can’t get them in the shops and it makes them look better.”
He added: “I did not apply any trade mark stickers and I didn’t make the DVDs they didn’t go through my computer”.
Hill continued: “I’d know how to put a DVD onto disc. There’s plenty of ways you can do it. I have made copies of DVDs before I made a copy of Dirty Dancing because my daughter had ruined the disc and I burned another one”.
The court heard how Hill had received a caution in 2003 for exactly the same offence. When this was put to him by Mr Harris, Hill shouted: “I didn’t make those DVDs, and you’re saying I did so you’re the liar”.
Mr Harris continued: “Of the DVDs, 64 were found to have emanated from your computer. By copying a DVD you have deprived the companies by revenue”.
Hill shouted: “No, I pay for my DVDs”. When asked if he had any evidence of this, he said “Have you any evidence I haven’t paid for them?”
The magistrate reminded Hill that by shouting he runs the risk of contempt of court, saying: “We don’t want to put you in prison and I am bending over backwards to help you here. You don’t have a right to question the prosecutor”.
Hill was fined £195 with prosecution costs of £800. He was ordered to pay £20 towards the victims of crime. The court ordered the forfeiture and destruction for Hills DVDs and computer equipment.

News

Blue Gem Wind begins digital aerial surveys for 300MW Valorous floating wind project

Published

17 hours ago

June 15, 2021

Andy Chandler

BLUE GEM WIND, the joint venture between TotalEnergies, one of the world’s largest energy companies, and Simply Blue Energy, has begun offshore digital aerial surveys for a proposed 300MW floating wind project.

APEM Ltd have been chosen by Blue Gem Wind to deliver 24 consecutive monthly bird and marine mammal surveys of the early-commercial scale Valorous site. The high resolution data obtained will support baseline environmental characterisation of the site and environmental impact assessments for key ecological receptors.

The survey programme commenced in March 2021 and four of the 24 monthly surveys have been completed
to date.

Sean Evans, Environmental Specialist at Blue Gem Wind said, “It is important for us to begin long-lead in items
such as bird and marine mammal surveys as early as possible. These surveys will provide crucial species specific
data on the number, spatial distribution and activity of individuals across the Valorous site. This enables us to
undertake robust environmental impact assessments ahead of our planned consent application submission in
2023.”

Matt Rohner, Senior Consultant at APEM, “APEM Ltd are delighted to be able to support Blue Gem Wind’s
proposed Valorous offshore wind farm with our best-in-class survey design approach. Imagery captured using
state-of-the-art cameras is of ultra-high (1.6cm) resolution, providing industry leading image quality that is
essential for species level identification.”

The Celtic Sea is poised to play a key role in Net Zero, the Committee on Climate Change’s 100GW offshore
wind target, and crucially, the UK Government’s target of 1 GW of floating wind by 2030. The ORE Catapult also
estimated that the first GW of floating wind in the Celtic Sea could potentially deliver over 3,000 jobs and
£682m in supply chain opportunities for Wales and Cornwall by 2030.

News

Three arrests as suspected cocaine worth £12,000 seized in Milford Haven

Published

19 hours ago

June 15, 2021

Thomas Sinclair

POLICE in Milford Haven have disrupted the supply of cocaine in the town in a major operation which saw people detained and a large quantity of drugs found.

Three people were arrested and suspected cocaine worth up to £12,200 was seized, police said.

Dyfed-Powys Police carried out a warrant at a house in Hubberston on the evening of Friday, June 11, “where 122g of what is believed to be cocaine was found.”

This is estimated to have a street value of between £9,760 and £12,200 depending on its purity.

The occupant of the address – a 59-year-old man – was not present at the time, however he was later arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

He has been released under investigation pending the result of forensic, digital and financial enquiries.

As enquiries progressed, officers made two further arrests over the weekend.

A 33-year-old man from Manchester, was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession of an offensive weapon after police stopped the car he was driving.

A quantity of white powder was seized by Greater Manchester Police during a warrant at the address he gave officers in custody.

A 27-year-old woman from the Stockport area was also arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

Both have been released on bail with the condition not to enter Pembrokeshire.

Detective Constable Phillip Jones said: “This was a significant drugs seizure, and we will continue our enquiries with the view to securing a swift outcome.

“I would like to thank all officers involved over the weekend for their dedication and diligence.”