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Wakefield porn pirate had fortune stashed in home
A PORN peddler earned more than £200,000 illegally selling adult sex DVDs with titles such as Gang Bang the Boss.
Stuart Baldwin had 135,000 hidden in his Wakefield home from the sale of films, which included Strap on Secretary, that should have only been sold in licensed sex shops.
Leeds Crown Court heard Baldwin's illicit mail order business was exposed after West Yorkshire Trading Standards received an anonymous complaint.
They got hold got hold of a catalogue and ordered a film. It was not illegal, but as an R18 rated title was for sale only at a licensed sex shop.
When police raided 46-year-old Baldwin's home in Weaver's Chase, Flanshaw, last March they found 135,000 cash stuffed at the back of kitchen cupboards and hidden behind the living room fire.
Prosecutor, Michael Collins, said Baldwin used the alias Mr Quinn to set up a Post Office box in Ossett. Police found 2,000 cash and letters in the box with orders for videos along with cheques and postalorders.
Baldwin, who admitted concealing criminal property, had more than 77,000 deposited in bank accounts.
Derek Duffy, for Baldwin said: "There is no suggestion here this is something likely to corrupt anybody. He was simply not following the legislation.
"He is now working for a bed sales company and is now able to support himself."
Judge Penelope Belcher handed Baldwin a 13 week jail sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered him to do 75 hours unpaid work.
She ordered that 214,718.39 be confiscated from Baldwin. He will be jailed if he doesn't pay within 28 days.
In 2004 Baldwin was jailed for three months for eight offences of possessing articles under the Obscene Publications Act with a view to publication.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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