PENRHYS, South Wales – A man who admitted pirating porn DVDs worth an estimated £26,000 narrowly avoided spending Christmas in jail after his vicar called the pirate’s character “impeccable.”

Paul Harrison, 48, confessed to 13 charges of counterfeiting and selling 580 porn DVDs and 3,152 mainstream DVDs containing 6,550 videos and 241,800 audio files. Experts estimated the value of the stolen material across all categories to be about £100,000.

A police raid discovered Harrison’s flat filled with duplicating equipment. DVDs on the premises were confiscated and destroyed.

At trial, the pirate’s vicar told Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, “Harrison is of previous impeccable character and a solitary man who considered himself vulnerable.”

The court suspended Harrison’s 16-month jail term and sentenced him to 200 hours of unpaid work. He also must pay £500 court costs and a £100 victim surcharge.