7 days ago
Man who sold pirated subscriptions to stream Premier League and Champions League matches jailed
A man was sentenced to five years in jail for selling pirated subscriptions to stream Premier League and Champions League matches.
A judge told Mark Brockley "nice to see you" when he returned to face justice having previously fled the country with his dog. Brockley pocketed hundreds of thousands of pounds by selling pirated subscriptions which enabled his customers to stream football matches, a court heard.
Having left with his profits, he spent years on the run in France and Spain. But eventually, he was tracked down on the continent and is now beginning his lengthy prison sentence following extradition back to the UK, reports the ECHO.
A trial at Liverpool Crown Court previously heard Brockley, formerly of John Bagot Close in Everton, was involved in a "pyramid selling scheme" alongside an unidentified man, known only as "Freddie", who sat at the top of the operation. The 56-year-old advertised the services of the illicit Infinity IPTV platform on social media and "recruited and controlled others below him".
Dominic Hockley, prosecuting, described how he also failed to disclose his unlawful income for tax purposes after generating an estimated £312,000 through his involvement, evidenced by transfers directly into his PayPal and bank accounts. It was estimated that his actions caused a loss in revenue in the region of £3million to BT, this being the sum which would have been generated if his clientele had instead subscribed to the legal service for one year.
Investigators believe Brockley then travelled to France in the company of his dog in order to evade justice, with his whereabouts remaining unknown for several years. However, he was ultimately arrested in Spain earlier this year and returned to the UK after unsuccessfully attempting to fight extradition proceedings.
A probe was launched in November 2018 when the broadcaster reported a Twitter account using the handle @Infinity_IPTV, which was "advertising the sale of premium film, television and sports content to its followers". Subscribers could purchase a month's subscription for £15, with Brockley found to have made a total of 5,251 sales between October 2014 and May 2019.
It was also discovered he had not declared any income to HM Revenue and Customs since December 2018. His home was raided by police in July 2019, when officers seized £1,200 in cash, as well as a laptop and a mobile phone which linked him to the profile on the social media platform now known as X.
But, despite the involvement of the law, he received a further 10 payments for his services after this date. Daniel Travers, defending, told the court in his client's absence during his original sentencing hearing in 2023: "It is disappointing, to say the least, that the defendant did not attend his trial and is not here today. That limits much of what we maybe would have hoped to discuss with him and recite.
"Realistically, now, the court will not consider suspending any sentence. There are clearly those operating above him. There are many, many people above him. In my submission, Mr Brockley performed more of a management role. I ask him to be treated as effectively of good character. Undoubtedly, this will have a devastating impact on him."
Brockley was found guilty of distributing articles infringing on copyright and fraudulently evading income tax by a jury in his absence. The dock remained empty as he was ultimately jailed for five years, with a warrant being issued for his arrest.
But he was brought before the court yesterday afternoon, Monday, for execution of this warrant. Appearing via video link to HMP Onley in Northamptonshire wearing a grey Under Armour t-shirt and glasses and sporting greying hair and a beard, Judge David Swinnerton told him: "Nice to see you.
"We did not see you throughout your trial, which is why I sentenced you in your absence. I passed a sentence of five years, so you are now serving your five-year sentence. I would have passed a consecutive sentence for a breach of bail but I am unable to do so because of the way your extradition has proceeded, so you are lucky."
Judge Swinnerton previously said in his sentencing remarks two years ago: "This is not a victimless crime. This was a sophisticated enterprise on a large scale. It was well-planned and carried out over a long period of time. While not at the very pinnacle, I do find that Mr Brockley played a leading role. He made a substantial profit and caused a substantial loss."
Detective Constable Geoffrey Holbrook, from the City of London Police's intellectual property crime unit, said following the sentencing: "Brockley made tens of thousands of pounds from an illegal activity and used the money to fund his lifestyle. Despite being interviewed by PIPCU officers and knowing that his actions were against the law, he continued to sell IPTV subscriptions and then left the country in an attempt to avoid the consequences of his actions."
