March 5, 2008 | The Biz

Porn producer jailed for filming teen

Rufus Ffoulkes is in a whole lot of trouble. The European director of bareback videos has been convicted of "enticing a child into pornography."  The 48-year-old man will spend two years and eleven months in prison. He had produced content for distribution by a number of US-based companies, including Puppy Productions.

This is just the latest in a series of illicit activities resulting in 58 previous convictions for Ffoulkes. From fraud, to theft, to sex with a 13-year-old boy, this scuz bucket represents the dingiest corner of the gay porn world.

This latest case involved a 16-year-old boy he recruited through Gaydar. He offered the boy  £500 for a photoshoot, and later had him perform in a bareback porn video, "Royal Raw Auditions I," which was distributed in the United States by Puppy Productions.

Miranda Bevan, Ffoulkes' lawyer, claimed her client "genuinely believed that this individual was over 18 but accepts that his belief was unreasonable and he should have conducted further checks."

The story brings to light the issue of how well American-based porn companies vet foreign produced content. More specifically, why did CEO of Puppy Productions, Thomas Bjorn, continue to distribute "Royal Raw Editions I" even after British police contacted him about the model in question? [more]

According to Gay Porn Times, Ffoulkes has worked with Puppy Productions since 2005. In May of 2007 Ffoulkes informed the studio that there might be a problem with the documentation of proof of age for the performer known as "Harry." Puppy shortly thereafter received inquiries from police in England regarding the same boy.

Despite these early warning signs, Puppy only temporarily pulled the video in question and, after receiving assurances from Ffoulkes and no follow-up from British police, put the film back into distribution.

Puppy Productions is one of the more controversial bareback studios in that it allows the pairing of HIV-negative tops with HIV-positive bottoms, thus putting tops at significant risk for infection.

Puppy CEO Bjorn did not order the film pulled until Ffoulkes admitted in a recent phone call  that he had actually pleaded guilty "to the charge of using an underage model with the understanding that it be stated he was unaware [the model] was only 16, since he provided his passport."

Ffoulkes was also accused of failing to pay his performers for their time. Sounds like a most honorable man to do business with ... NOT!