CD pirates told to repay £400,000

The pair were caught with thousands of illegal CDs

Two men caught with thousands of illegal CDs in south west Scotland have been ordered to pay £400,000 under the proceeds of crime act.

Peter Cruickshank, 47, of Glasgow, and Wilfred Siddle, 56, of Dundee, were caught by Stranraer port police.

The two men were found guilty of copyright offences and sentenced at Stranraer Sheriff Court last week.

Police said the sum they had been ordered to pay back was the largest so far in Scotland for this type of crime.

The action followed a joint investigation by Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary and the British Phonographic Industry.

We're delighted with the outcome of this case and hope that it will serve as a deterrent to others David Wood BPI director of anti-piracy

The pair were caught by ports unit staff in Stranraer in December 2003 with 2,351 illegal CDs and were eventually found guilty of copyright offences.

Police said a financial investigation showed that they had amassed "huge personal wealth" by committing their crimes.

Now Cruickshank has been ordered to hand over £375,000 and Siddle £25,000.

In addition the pair will be tackled further by the tax authorities.

The BPI's director of anti-piracy David Wood, who ran the UK investigation, said the counterfeiters could make significant amounts of money - none of which was seen by the artists.

The ports unit at Stranraer caught the two men in 2003

"It is simply not acceptable for people to line their pockets at the expense of the music community," he said.

"The creative endeavours of others should be respected and paid for.

"We're delighted with the outcome of this case and hope that it will serve as a deterrent to others."

Det Sgt Raymond Clingan said it was the biggest case of its type in the UK to date.

He said the force worked closely with other agencies on many types of crime to ensure those who broke the law would be caught and have their money confiscated.

"Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary has a well trained, experienced and determined financial investigation team that will make full use of the proceeds of crime act," he said.