The Pink Panther of PlayStations Has Finally Been Brought to Justice
A UK man by the name of Christopher Champion is probably not feeling like a champion today. He has just been sentenced to 8 years in prison for stealing 2,790 PlayStation. The consoles are worth a whopping 769,000 pounds ( $976,918.38 USD, $1,308,441.96 CAN).
Champion was able to get his hands on the consoles by breaking into a shipping container. The Playstations were originally destined for Port of Felixstowe but were instead taken to Essex where they were stolen.
The case itself has been going on for almost three years now as the product was originally stolen in August of 2016. Police have stated that the consoles were due to be shipped to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia before they were swiped.
Champion did not act alone. Robert Ratcliff, Keith Williams, and Darren Brown had been involved in the crime too. These men were also charged and convicted for the crime as well. However, his accomplices were all sentenced to three years or less for their role in the crime. This would lead to the assumption that Champion was the ring-leader and the most responsible for the theft.
British authorities said that the case was long and complex. Additionally, it should be mentioned that the police also received support by working very closely with Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Sometimes, it is hard to remember how much money the gaming industry is worth nowadays. In 2018 the industry as a whole made around $135 billion (USD). With all this money flowing around will see heightened security measures taken to ensure something like this doesn’t take place again?
What do you think? Was the sentence too harsh? Or just right? Be sure to let us know in the comments below as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.