A FATHER who made nearly £16,000 selling fake DVDs on the internet has been spared prison.
Michael Callaghan sold hundreds of counterfeit films through on-line auction site ebay.
Nicola Miles, prosecuting, said he had received £15,920 from buyers in four months.
But Callaghan, of Ridgeway Drive, St Helens, was given a second chance after the court heard he had quit the scam weeks before he was caught.
His barrister Charles Lander said he had already started applying for jobs when his house was raided and had secured a job with car dealership Arnold Clark.
Mr Lander said Callaghan had been struggling with large debts and was the sole provider for his family.
Judge John Roberts told Callaghan, who was committed to Liverpool Crown Court after admitting 16 trademark offences at the magistrates court, he had come very close to going to jail.
Judge Roberts suspended a 12-month prison sentence for two years and ordered Callaghan to do 300 hours of unpaid work in the community, and to pay £4,527 costs.
