AN ILLEGAL immigrant who sold fake DVDs has been jailed.

Bi Hong He was caught selling the pirate films in Thurrock.

The 39-year-old, pleaded guilty to the 60 offences of selling counterfeit discs.

She was sentenced to 13 weeks in jail.

The Chinese national was caught by Thurrock council Trading Standards five times.

Southend Magistrates' Court heard how she tried to sell DVDs to an undercover trading standards officer at the Cabin Cafe in Grays last October.

There were 383 discs, with several copies of each of the titles available.

Some were pornographic.

She was caught a further four times selling the DVDs at Grays railway station and in Tilbury. Thurrock council spent more than £1,000 investigating.

The court heard how the defendant stayed in Dept-ford, London, after her asylum application was refused.

Speaking through a translator, she wept in the dock as sentence was passed.

Gerrard Shaw, defending, said: "She is here illegally and she has expectations of returning home to China.

"My client has not got any previous convictions.

"She had been working as a child minder, but that source of work dried up and the only thing she could do is to sell DVDs.

"It is very easy for us to say she should not do that but she did."