A CD pirate who made £15 mill-ion ripping off the biggest names in showbusiness has been jailed.

Mark Purseglove, 33, enjoyed a lavish lifestyle as he built up a global counterfeit CD empire during a scam which lasted 11 years.

Oasis, the Beatles, Eminem, David Bowie, Madonna, Prince, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson and the Rolling Stones were among hundreds of artists he targeted.

Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, Jason Kay of Jamiroquai, and Des'ree had been lined up to give evidence against him if he had not admitted his guilt.

Purseglove's life of crime funded a luxury existence of designer clothes, fast cars, smart homes and expensive holidays worthy of some of his superstar victims - earning him the title of the world's biggest bootlegger.

His list of expensive properties included a £360,000 seafront home in Brunswick Terrace, Hove. He also lived at a £1.1 million town house in Chelsea, London.

He cultivated an image of a wealthy businessman, driving around in an Aston Martin DB7 Volante, which cost about £104,000 and wearing a Rolex Oyster watch costing a further fortune.

London's Blackfriars Crown Court heard how Purseglove, who was jailed for three and a half years, sold his illicit discs at music festivals, shops and online for up to £130 a time with the help of a worldwide network of business contacts.

His contempt for the law was all too apparent in his choice of record company labels concocted for his "dodgy discs" - Criminal Records, Wanted Man, Fugitive, Masquerade, Beautiful Losers, Naughty but Nice, Swinging Pig and even Not Guilty.

He was caught after the British Phonographic Industry's (BPI) anti-piracy unit launched a lengthy surveillance operation which not only built up a picture of what he was doing but identified some of his contacts and assets.

Investigators took the evidence to the police and, on June 18, 2002, officers swooped.

Among the premises they raided were rented offices behind the Royal Albert Hall in London and a lock-up in Wandsworth, south west London.

In the latter they discovered no fewer than 28,000 CDs and a staggering 200,000 pieces of "impressively high quality" artwork such as inserts, inlays and tray cards.

Purseglove remained emotionless as Judge Timothy Pontius told him it was plain his "large-scale criminal enterprise" had "reaped very considerable financial rewards from the manufacture, importation and sale of illicit CDs.

The judge said: "It seems clear beyond any doubt that this enterprise is by far the largest and therefore the most serious of its particular kind to come before the courts.

"The gravity of your involvement lies first of all in its overall scale.

"Very large numbers of illicit CDs were produced and sold over the years with significant potential loss, not only to recording companies but also to performers and composers who make a considerable part of their living from the percentage paid to them upon the sale of authorised recordings."

The judge said despite a court injunction and subsequent brushes with the law, here and abroad, Purseglove remained undeterred and continued to enjoy a "very comfortable living" from his life of crime.

"You were simply willing deliberately, continually and blatantly to flout the law and take the risks of the consequences of detection to reap potentially huge financial rewards."

The judge said an additional five years would have to be served if assets of £1,827,937 were not paid by the end of March next year.

That was the figure he ruled was realisable from agreed benefit of £6,667,300, an amount described by police as "very generous to the defendant".

Even that sum paled into insignificance compared with unofficial but authoritative estimates Purseglove pocketed up to £15 million from his piracy.

The court heard the master bootlegger was undoubtedly "Britain's biggest".

Outside court, David Martin, head of the BPI anti-piracy unit, said Purseglove almost certainly deserved the world title.

He said: "We have been after him for 13 years and he has been a thorn in our side throughout that time.

"We cannot overestimate the scale of his operation.

"You don't get pirates any bigger than Purseglove.

"He probably lived a better lifestyle than some of those he ripped off."

Mr Martin added: "Certainly in the international bootlegging fraternity this guy is a legend, a mini-god. I am sure there is a book waiting to be written about him, maybe even a film to be made."

Sony's security adviser Bill Floydd said: "He is by far and away the biggest bootlegger the world has ever seen.

"Many artists will breathe more easily now he is behind bars."