Fraudster jailed over chipped games consoles

Aamer Ali was caught after West Yorkshire Police officers and West Yorkshire trading standards officials mounted a joint investigation into his activities.

At one house in July 2007 they found hundreds of stolen consoles which were being adapted – "chipped" – so that they could operate counterfeit video games.

The pile of more than 400 consoles included Nintendo Wii, Xbox and PlayStation machines.

Subsequent raids also uncovered fake DVDs, and televisions and laptops stolen from lorries elsewhere in the country.

Ali, 26, of Rhodes Street, Pellon, admitted producing and selling counterfeit computer games, possessing chipped consoles and handling stolen goods.

Jailing him, the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC, said the defendant was involved "large-scale commercial operation" in stolen and counterfeit goods.

Jonathan Carroll, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court Ali was effectively "a fence for a string of organised thefts".

Goods seized from premises he used included 6,000 counterfeit games, 348 stolen laptops, 60 televisions and 14,000 in cash.

He sold the games and DVDs at a car boot sale in Halifax and through a computer market in Manchester. A production line for producing counterfeit games was found at a warehouse in Bradford Road, Dewsbury. Ali's brother Yasar, 23, of Rhodes Street, was given a conditional discharge for 12 months for his involvement.

His cousin Murtaz Ali, 31, also of Rhodes Street, was given 26 weeks in prison suspended for two years with 100 hours unpaid work for possessing counterfeit designer-label clothing and discs. Naveed Zaman, 24, of Richmond Road, Halifax, was given 52 weeks in prison suspended for two years with 200 hours unpaid work.