Pirate king Khan gets jail sentence

Twelve months and £15,000 fine for selling counterfeit software

Bilal Khan, a 23-year-old trainee accountant, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison and fined £15,000 for selling counterfeit software.

Lewisham-based Khan pleaded guilty to five offences under the Trademarks Act and asked for 11 others to be taken into consideration.

He was sentenced to an additional three months for skipping bail and going on the run for nine months. Half of the total sentence was suspended.

Khan had been selling pirated copies of mainly Macromedia, Adobe and Microsoft software through online auction sites. He was caught after a two-year investigation by Lewisham Trading Standards department and the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

"We hope this case will deter those who carry out similar activities," said Lewisham's deputy mayor, Gavin Moore.

When Khan's home was raided in 2000, 236 discs of counterfeit software were found, as well as blank CDs, a laptop and a CD burner.

Tried at Greenwich Crown Court in 2000, Khan skipped bail and fled to Pakistan for nine months, where he continued his pirate operation.

A BSA internet investigator said: "Over 1,000 hours have gone into this and we're pleased to see a result."