A MAN who sold thousands of pirated CDs including hard-core pornography from his home was jailed for three years at Newport crown court yesterday.

The court heard that David Sonny Chard, aged 55, of Penylan Court, Coed Eva, Cwmbran, had a catalogue of almost 2,500 pirated CDs, including music, films, computer games and pornography.

He had previously pleaded guilty to 29 specimen counts of producing and selling counterfeit goods at Newport crown court.

Chard, who went by the alias Karaoke Queen, ran his business through the Internet, with customers contacting him through e-mail.

He used his wife Helen's name to set up an e-mail address and bank account to run the business, and only accepted cash as he was claiming housing benefit and income support.

The court heard Chard was operating an efficient "electronic warehouse" at his home with sophisticated computer equipment and high-quality printers. He had even printed compliment slips to say 'thank you' to customers.

Leighton Hughes, prosecuting, said: "Mr Chard even had the vanity to include references from satisfied customers of his illegal business."

One such reference read: "Top quality trader, quality media and fast delivery." Mr Hughes told the court Chard had 305 hard-core porn videos, which he said "included scenes of extreme pornography and depravity".

One of the titles included indecent acts with animals, another with apparent school-age girls. None of the titles was classified and they were too hard core to sell even in licensed sex shops, the court was told.

Chard supplied customers, not only in the UK, but from around the world, including North America and South-East Asia.

Andrew Shanahan, defending, said that Chard had only got involved as "a hobby" when he became bored after being made redundant.

Sentencing Chard, Judge Gary Hickinbottom said: "This was a very serious offence which demands a custodial sentence. You even tried to minimise the seriousness of what you had done by calling it a hobby."

Chard was jailed for a total of 36 months for the 29 offences. His wife, Helen, who he married only in December last year, wept as her husband's sentence was read out.