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North Wales Live
15-07-2025
- North Wales Live
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."
Scottish Sun
01-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Brit fugitive behind £300k illegal football streaming operation is jailed for 5 years as police issue stark warning
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRIT man who went on the run after being sentenced to five years behind bars for operating an illegal streaming service has finally be caught. And police have issued a stark warning to anyone offering the same services. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Service was used to stream Premier League games and more on the cheap Credit: Getty 2 Mark Brockley fled to Spain after being sentenced in May 2023 Credit: City of London Police Mark Brockley, 56, pocketed £300,000 for illegally streaming football games on the cheap, including Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches. He ran aFINITY IPTV for around five years, between 2014 and 2019, with premium sport, movies and TV for as little as £15 a month. Brockley was arrested and later charged with fraud and copyright offences at Liverpool Crown Court in June 2021. After being released on police bail, he failed to appear at multiple court hearings, and sentencing proceeded in his absence in May 2023. He fled the country with his dog before being traced to an apartment block in Spain. The illegal streaming fugitive was arrested in the city of Girona during a coordinated operation involving the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), National Crime Agency (NCA), Europol, and Interpol in August 2024. Brockley was released pending further investigation having appealed his extradition back to the UK, City of London Police said. But he failed to show up at multiple court hearings in Spain and was eventually identified as wanted by Spanish authorities. Brockley was finally arrested at Barcelona Airport while attempting to board a flight to the UK on June 20. He was held in custody at Heathrow Airport and will now commence his five-year sentence. Major Illegal Streaming Network Shut Down Across Europe "This case is a clear example of how PIPCU, together with our national and international partners, will relentlessly pursue those seeking to profit from intellectual property crime," said Detective Constable Geoff Holbrook from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at City of London Police. "Thanks to the joint efforts of the NCA, Europol and Interpol, Brockley has finally been brought to justice, despite his attempts to evade accountability."
The Sun
01-07-2025
- The Sun
Brit fugitive behind £300k illegal football streaming operation is jailed for 5 years as police issue stark warning
A BRIT man who went on the run after being sentenced to five years behind bars for operating an illegal streaming service has finally be caught. And police have issued a stark warning to anyone offering the same services. 2 2 Mark Brockley, 56, pocketed £300,000 for illegally streaming football games on the cheap, including Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches. He ran aFINITY IPTV for around five years, between 2014 and 2019, with premium sport, movies and TV for as little as £15 a month. Brockley was arrested and later charged with fraud and copyright offences at Liverpool Crown Court in June 2021. After being released on police bail, he failed to appear at multiple court hearings, and sentencing proceeded in his absence in May 2023. He fled the country with his dog before being traced to an apartment block in Spain. The illegal streaming fugitive was arrested in the city of Girona during a coordinated operation involving the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), National Crime Agency (NCA), Europol, and Interpol in August 2024. Brockley was released pending further investigation having appealed his extradition back to the UK, City of London Police said. But he failed to show up at multiple court hearings in Spain and was eventually identified as wanted by Spanish authorities. Brockley was finally arrested at Barcelona Airport while attempting to board a flight to the UK on June 20. He was held in custody at Heathrow Airport and will now commence his five-year sentence. Major Illegal Streaming Network Shut Down Across Europe "This case is a clear example of how PIPCU, together with our national and international partners, will relentlessly pursue those seeking to profit from intellectual property crime," said Detective Constable Geoff Holbrook from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at City of London Police. "Thanks to the joint efforts of the NCA, Europol and Interpol, Brockley has finally been brought to justice, despite his attempts to evade accountability." Warning over 'jailbroken' Fire Sticks Illegal streaming can be delivered by a number of devices by one of the most common are 'jailbroken' Fire Sticks, which means a third-party media server software has been installed on to it. The software most commonly used is called Kodi. It can grant users unrestricted access to new features and apps the normal version of the device wouldn't allow – but it is not legal to use in the UK. But it becomes illegal when a box is used to stream subscription channels for free. It is also illegal to buy or sell these modified devices which have become known as "fully-loaded" - a term that describes how the software has been altered to allow access to subscription-only channels. 'These devices are legal when used to watch legitimate, free to air, content,' the government said at the time. 'They become illegal once they are adapted to stream illicit content, for example TV programmes, films and subscription sports channels without paying the appropriate subscriptions.'
The Irish Sun
01-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Brit fugitive behind £300k illegal football streaming operation is jailed for 5 years as police issue stark warning
A BRIT man who went on the run after being sentenced to five years behind bars for operating an illegal streaming service has finally be caught. And police have issued a stark warning to anyone offering the same services. 2 Service was used to stream Premier League games and more on the cheap Credit: Getty 2 Mark Brockley fled to Spain after being sentenced in May 2023 Credit: City of London Police Mark Brockley, 56, pocketed £300,000 for illegally streaming football games on the cheap, including Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches. He ran aFINITY IPTV for around five years, between 2014 and 2019, with premium sport, movies and TV for as little as £15 a month. Brockley was arrested and later charged with fraud and copyright offences at Liverpool Crown Court in June 2021. After being released on police bail, he failed to appear at multiple court hearings, and sentencing proceeded in his absence in May 2023. Read more on illegal streaming He fled the country with his dog before being traced to an apartment block in Spain. The Brockley was released pending further investigation having appealed his extradition back to the UK, City of London Police said. But he failed to show up at multiple court hearings in Spain and was eventually identified as wanted by Spanish authorities. Most read in Tech Brockley was finally arrested at Barcelona Airport while attempting to board a flight to the UK on June 20. He was held in custody at Heathrow Airport and will now commence his five-year sentence. Major Illegal Streaming Network Shut Down Across Europe "This case is a clear example of how PIPCU, together with our national and international partners, will relentlessly pursue those seeking to profit from intellectual property crime," said Detective Constable Geoff Holbrook from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at City of London Police. "Thanks to the joint efforts of the NCA, Europol and Interpol, Brockley has finally been brought to justice, despite his attempts to evade accountability." Warning over 'jailbroken' Fire Sticks Illegal streaming can be delivered by a number of devices by one of the most common are 'jailbroken' Fire Sticks, which means a third-party media server software has been installed on to it. The software most commonly used is called Kodi. It can grant users unrestricted access to new features and apps the normal version of the device wouldn't allow – but it is not legal to use in the UK. But it becomes illegal when a box is used to stream subscription channels for free. It is also illegal to buy or sell these modified devices which have become known as "fully-loaded" - a term that describes how the software has been altered to allow access to subscription-only channels. 'These devices are legal when used to watch legitimate, free to air, content,' the government said at the time. 'They become illegal once they are adapted to stream illicit content, for example TV programmes, films and subscription sports channels without paying the appropriate subscriptions.'
