A TRADER was fined for possessing hundreds of unclassified DVDs.

Ramesh Pushparajah, 31, who trades as Music Rahmy from his Ealing Road shop, Wembley, selling Tamil and Bollywood movies and music DVDs, was visited by Brent and Harrow Trading Standards Officers where they found unclassified DVDs being offer for sale.

Mr Pushparajah, of Dorothy Avenue, Wembley, admitted eight offences under the Video Recordings Act 1984 for possessing for supply unclassified DVDs.

He was fined £400 and ordered to pay £500 prosecution costs at Brent Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday last week.

Officers seized 795 DVDs, some of which either had no classification markings on the disc or packaging, while others had been marked with classification stickers to give the impression that the films were properly classified, when they were not.

Mr Pushparajah was advised in September 2009 by Trading Standards Officers of the legal requirements to ensure all DVDs he sold or let for hire were properly classified.

Officers visited again in January 2010 to carry out spot checks and found everything to be in order.

During the investigation, Mr Pushparajah admitted he knew the discs were infringing, but wanted to get his money back on his initial investment.

The magistrates forfeited all of the DVDs, which will now be destroyed and recycled.

Bill Bilon, head of consumer and business protection at Brent and Harrow Trading Standards, said afterwards: “By flouting the Video Recordings Act, Mr Pushparajah was potentially exposing children to program content that may upset or distress them and creates an unfair trading environment for those video businesses who do comply with the law. ”