Walton man costs film industry £2 million after recording films to send to Ukraine

A man who used his phone to make secret recordings of Hollywood movies in the cinema and sent them to a "friend in Ukraine" may have cost the film industry £2million, a court heard.

Vasile Nicolaveci, 24, used his phone to record copies of The Railway Children Return, Where the Crawdads Sing and Hustle while at the Odeon and Showcase cinemas in Liverpool in June and July 2022.

Investigators from the Film Content Protection Agency (FCPA), spotted that recordings of the films were available for download on an unnamed online platform shortly after their global cinema release dates.

According to the FCPT, the films were downloaded a combined total of 151,000 times, which they claimed caused hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost ticket sales, movie rights and streaming revenue.

Nicolaveci, of Milman Road in Walton, was identified as the source of the recordings, and pleaded guilty to fraud and making for sale an article infringing copyright. He appeared for sentence at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Wednesday 4 October.

Ed Handley, prosecuting, told the court: "Significant research conducted by reputable pollsters has found that 60% of people who illegally download material would have legitimately paid to see the films at the cinema."

He said the FCPA had calculated the losses caused to cinemas, the film industry, streaming services and via DVD sales "in excess" of £2.1million. He told the court the defendant claimed he had only been paid around £200 for his efforts.

Raj Chopra, defending, said his client had simply agreed to help a friend, 'Georgie', back in Ukraine and realised he had made a "very silly mistake".

He said: "His friend told him Covid is there, there is a war and we can't do anything.

"He asked for a couple of films. He didn't know, he's only a young man, only 24 years of age, he didn't realise what he was doing was illegal.

"He didn't ask for any money, but his friend did send him £200 as a gesture of goodwill to have a drink."

Mr Chopra said his client had no previous convictions, steady work, and was supporting his elderly grandparents back in Ukraine.

He said his criminal conviction could have a serious impact, and may prevent him from obtaining a British passport.

The case was briefly stood down for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

After interviewing the defendant, a probation officer told the court Nicolaveci, who arrived in the UK from Ukraine in 2016, had "presented as very embarrassed and ashamed" by the fact he now has a criminal record.

District Judge James Clarke said the defendant's lack of criminal convictions, presentation of remorse and the fact his offending was not a sophisticated operation meant he could avoid imposing a prison sentence.

Nicolaveci was handed an 18 month community order with 300 hours of unpaid work. He was also fined £1,000, and ordered to pay £120 prosecution costs and a £134 court surcharge.