Taxi driver 'had a DVD-making factory in shed'
Thursday June 19 2008
A garda has told the trial of a Tallaght taxi driver charged with running a counterfeit DVD and CD-making business how he found "burners" which could copy over 40 DVDs at a time behind a false wall.
The garda said that "a secret compartment" behind a false wall in a shed at the back of the accused's home held six multiple-unit CD/DVD burners which could each copy original discs onto seven or eight blank discs simultaneously.
Stephen Trimble (24), of Suncroft Drive, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making illegal copies of 10 dvd film titles and 10 cd music titles at his home on October 28, 2005.
He also pleaded not guilty to three counts of having items designed or adapted for making illegal copies of a copyrighted work. The items include six printers, 33 print cartridges, two scanners, one paper guillotine, a memory stick, two computers and six multiple unit CD and DVD burners.
Suspicion
The garda told the prosecution that he formed a suspicion that fireworks were being sold from Mr Trimble's home and obtained a search warrant for the premises.
He said he attended at the house with a number of colleagues on October 28, 2005, and found Mr Trimble and his father decorating downstairs.
The garda said he went into the back garden where he searched a small "lean to" shed and a larger concrete shed.
He said he observed several boxes of cases for CDs in the "lean to" shed. The larger concrete-built shed transpired to be an "entertainment room" equipped with a bar, couches, optics, sound system and a TV.
There were boxes of discs with "slightly faded" covers which made them "look counterfeit" and the names of films and music albums were handwritten on the discs.
He said he noticed that there was gap in the wooden paneling behind the bar counter and part of the wall was on rails and he could slide it back to uncover a "secret compartment".
The trial continues before Judge Frank O'Donnell.
- Fiona Ferguson
