Illegal sex films and products with a retail value of £30,000 have been seized in a joint raid by Islington Council, police and Customs and Excise officers.
The raid of an unlicensed sex shop in the King’s Cross area on 14 December 2005 resulted in the confiscation of more than 1,100 unclassified hard core pornography DVDs and videos, 170 sex toys and illegal herbal products including the banned aphrodisiac Spanish Fly.
Islington Council’s trading standards team is investigating the business with a view to prosecution for operating as an unlicensed sex shop and selling unclassified sex videos.
Executive member for public protection, Councillor George Allan said: "We will continue to prosecute those involved in running unlicensed premises and the selling of unclassified sex films.
They risk imprisonment, fines of up to £20,000 and the confiscation of their stock.â€
Notes to the Editor:
No further details of the premises or owner can be given as it would be prejudicial to a prosecution case being prepared.
Unlicensed sex shops can be prosecuted under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions Act) 1982 (Schedule 3 – Control of Sex Establishments), which carries a maximum fine of £20,000.
Under the Video Recordings Act 1984, it is illegal to sell, possess for sale or offer for sale any video work that has not been classified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). Only licensed sex shops can sell films marked as ‘Restricted 18’.
Most hard core pornographic films sold in unlicensed sex shops are found to be unclassified and are easily identified by their lack of classification markings. Licensed sex shops are also unable to sell unclassified films.
The Video Recordings Act 1984 carries a maximum fine of £5,000 per offence or six months’ imprisonment.
Local authority trading standards departments enforce the law on unclassified videos/DVDs and licensing of sex shops. They also enforce the Cosmetic Products Safety regulations which may also be applied in this case due to the presence of non-compliant herbal products.
Page Last Updated: 29 July 2008