Scrap Dealer's Life Ruined by Sega's Undercover Sting

A London scrap dealer, Darius Khan, alleges his life has been severely impacted after purchasing nearly £10,000 in rare prototype video game consoles and unfinished games. These items were reportedly acquired from a removals firm tasked with clearing Sega's former Brentford offices. Khan intended to sell the consoles for profit, including valuable development kits.

Sega became aware of the items being listed for sale online and employed private investigators from Fusion 85 to identify the seller. One investigator posed as a buyer interested in consoles for an autistic enthusiast. Weeks later, police executed a search warrant at Khan's residence, seizing the consoles and cartridges.

Seven months after the raid and lengthy interview, Khan has not been charged. He asserts his innocence, suggesting a mistake in Sega's or the clearance company's disposal procedures. The incident has caused him significant stress and reputational damage, with his plans for a new business now jeopardized.

Experts in intellectual property law note that development kits are typically lent to companies under strict agreements forbidding resale. Their redistribution can lead to reverse engineering and game pirating. Despite this, many such kits end up on secondary markets due to lax disposal practices by game developers.

Khan is pursuing a judicial review of the warrant and has filed a complaint against the police, Sega, and Fusion 85. He believes Sega could have resolved the matter civilly, perhaps by purchasing the items back for a significant sum, rather than initiating a criminal investigation. Police confirmed an ongoing investigation involving alleged possession of criminal property, with three arrests and four voluntary interviews conducted.