A MAN from Greater Manchester who advertised a cure for cancer charged victims hundreds of pounds for "natural" pills.

Andrew Harris, 49, of Sale, was found guilty at Trafford Magistrates' Court in Manchester of seven offences of taking part in the publication of adverts offering to treat people for cancer.

He advertised "Triamazon" as a natural, non-toxic alternative for treating all types of cancer on two websites.

The pills were sold at £250 for 100 pills, half a course of treatment. It was claimed they would halt cancerous growths and send sufferers into remission.

Harris also published extensive information on natural cures and referenced American medical journals on the websites, which are now defunct.

He was prosecuted under The Cancer Act of 1939, which makes it illegal to offer a cure for cancer or to offer advice on how to treat it in any advertisement outside the medical profession.

Trafford Council brought the prosecution following a Trading Standards investigation into complaints dating back two years.

Harris, of Buxton Crescent, was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £350 costs.

Jonathan Coupe, executive councillor for environmental services at Trafford Council, said: "This is an unusual and rare case under legislation that is nearly 70 years old.

"The law has stood the test of time precisely because it is as important now as it ever was that people are protected from those peddling unproven products with spurious claims as to their effects."