A man who pirated DVDs of the movie Sione's Wedding has been sentenced to 300 hours of community work.
Frederick Junior Higgins, 39, was a long-time employee of an Auckland post-production company Digital Post when he made one copy of the DVD before it was released in cinemas.
He told his employer he made the copy only to watch with his family and had taken it back to work the next day to destroy it.
However, further copies of the DVD were made and distributed around the South Auckland community and internationally.
Justice Josephine Bouchier said the harsh nature of the sentence reflected the severity of the crime.
She said the incident cost South Pacific Pictures around $700,000 and the cost to his former employer Digital Post is as yet immeasurable.
A visibly upset Higgins was in the Auckland District Court to hear his fate and his lawyer said he may never work again due to the damage to his reputation.
