Brit fugitive behind £300k illegal football streaming operation is jailed for 5 years as police issue stark warning
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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Father' paid to give away girl, 9, at fake Disneyland wedding to Brit paedo reveals incredible mission to raise alarm
A MAN hired to play the role of a bride's father has revealed how he stopped a convicted Brit paedophile from "marrying" a nine-year-old girl in a fake Disneyland wedding. Vitalijs, a former Russian special forces paratrooper, raised the alarm on Londoner Jacky Jhaj, 39, who was Advertisement 7 Jacky Jhaj is a convicted paedophile who was jailed for four years in 2016 Credit: Getty - Contributor 7 Jhaj was allegedly the 'groom' in a mock wedding ceremony with a child at Disneyland Paris Credit: GETTY IMAGES 7 Vitalijs, a former Russian special forces paratrooper, raised the alarm on Londoner Jacky Jhaj Credit: Peter Allen Jhaj – The sex offender was allegedly the "groom" in a twisted mock wedding ceremony in which the nine-year-old girl was meant to act as his "bride". The bizarre wedding was played out Vitalijs, who only uses his first name for security reasons, revealed he was offered the equivalent of £550 to play "the father of the bride". Advertisement read more on the case He was first told he would be giving away the girl's 41-year-old mother. But when he realised the "bride" was instead an underage girl, he immediately refused to be a part of the bizarre act- and plotted a plan to take down the fake wedding. Vitalijs, who said he served as a paratrooper in the Red Army before the collapse of the old Soviet Union, added: "I knew I had to do something." On the morning of the wedding, the 54-year-old Latvian broke into the Paris Disneyland without a pass and raised the alarm on the fake wedding. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Latest Vitalijs, who does not speak French or English, said his special forces training to get in and carried a note with him. It read: "This is not a real wedding. The girl is nine years old!" Dramatic footage shows riot cops clashing with furious locals as suspected sex offender is bundled into van by officers Vitalijs said he approached the wedding stage and handed the note to Disney staff , who saw a "scared and confused" child in a big dress with four-inch heels taped to her feet. They then ensured the wedding was stopped immediately. Advertisement French cops arrived within minutes, and several suspects, including Jhaj, were arrested and taken into custody. Vitalijs was driven to a police station, where he was shown a fake British passport with his photo on it. Vitalijs said: "I found out that my passport had been forged. I only remember the first name, Mikhail. I don't remember the surname. "I remembered that a woman in Riga [Latvia] had asked me for a passport photo for a pass to Disneyland. Advertisement "Of course, I told the police that it wasn't me and that it wasn't my passport." 7 A bracelet given to guests at the fake ceremony showed the name 'Jack' as the pretend husband on behalf of paedophile Jacky Credit: Instagram/bfmtv 7 Guests at the twisted mock 'wedding rehearsal' in front of Disneyland Paris' Sleeping Beauty castle Credit: 7 Footage showed the mock wedding rehearsal Advertisement Vitalijs was released without charge, as was the Ukrainian mother and her child. He said he had got to know the pair after meeting them at a casting session for the Disneyland stunt in the Czech Republic in May. The mum told him she had known Jhaj for a year, even took her daughter on a holiday with the sex offender while also accepting cash from him. Jhaj has been described as the "mastermind" behind the sick stunt. Advertisement After his arrest, the convicted paedophile told the examining magistrates in Meaux: "I'm just a simple actor who took part in a film shoot". His lawyer, Jean-Christophe Ramadier, said Jhaj was solely placed in "provisional custody" because "he had no guarantee of legal representation in France, where he has no address". In 2016, Jhaj was found guilty of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds in Britain. Jean-Baptiste Bladier, the Meaux prosecutor, confirmed the Ukrainian child had not suffered "any violence, neither physical nor sexual" and had "not been forced into playing the bride". Advertisement Mr Bladier said Jhaj "played the role of the groom after having been professionally made up to display a face completely different from his own" The investigation into the fake wedding continues. 7
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘One in a million' former jockey dies aged 43 after being kicked in head by horse as pal says ‘we lost our little girl'
A 'ONE in a million' former jockey has died aged 43 after being kicked in the head by a horse. Heartbroken friends said they had 'lost their little girl' as they came to terms with the shock passing of Australian Peta Tait. Advertisement 2 Peta Tait, seen here with trainer and 'father figure' Reg Manning, has died aged 43 after being kicked in the head by a horse Credit: Getty 2 The former jockey was remembered as a 'one in a million' person after the 'tragic accident' Credit: Getty Tait rode 48 winners between 1998 and 2019 and had been working as a stable lass and work rider since giving up race-riding. She was going about her normal business for trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young when struck in the head at Cranbourne Training Centre in south-east Melbourne earlier this week. Paramedics rushed to the scene and performed CPR but she could not be saved. The trainers said in a statement: "Peta was an incredible person who was dedicated to her role and will leave a longstanding legacy. We are heartbroken by her loss." Advertisement Jockey Daniel Moor wrote on X: "It's difficult to find the words to describe a one in a million person, but that's exactly who Peta was. "So dedicated to her job and always so helpful. Constantly putting others before herself. She will be very sadly missed." Police are investigating the circumstances around the incident - although it was believed to be a 'tragic accident'. Tait rode her first ever winner for trainer Reg Manning aged 16 and he said: "It was just a freak accident. Advertisement Most read in Horse Racing "It was not as if she did anything wrong, or it was a bad horse, it just kicked out for whatever reason. "I couldn't have kids, but I have got three girls that all call me 'Dad' from different families. "We helped all of them growing up and Peta was no different - we were very close. "Fellow trainers Ian and Jan Hutchins were like family to her as well. She learnt a lot from them. Advertisement "They treated her very well, and they will be just as sad as I am that we have lost our little girl." Racing Victoria chief executive Aaron Morrison said: "This terrible accident serves as an untimely reminder of the thousands of unsung heroes working in stables each day to provide the best possible care to our racehorses. "Like all within our industry, Peta loved horses and she forged a career working with them, helping numerous trainers prepare their horses as a trackwork rider or strapping them on race day. "Peta made a valuable contribution to Victorian racing over more than 25 years and her sudden passing will be felt by many, particularly in Cranbourne where she was based." Advertisement
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Diddy sex trafficking trial jury reaches partial verdict after 6 weeks of testimony and 2 days of deliberation
A PARTIAL verdict has been reached in the federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs. Judge Arun Subramanian received a letter from the jury at around 4:40 pm informing the court that the jury has reached a verdict on some of the charges. 4 Sean 'Diddy' Combs listens as lead prosecutor Maurene Comey makes rebuttal arguments for the government on June 27 Credit: Reuters 4 Diddy performs onstage at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards in New Jersey in September 2023 Credit: Getty Images - Getty 4 Sean Combs huddled with his defense team in court on June 30 Credit: Reuters 4 Cassandra 'Cassie' Ventura sobbed on the stand during her testimony, which went on for four-days Credit: Reuters In closing arguments, prosecutors described Combs as the "leader of a criminal enterprise" who used his expansive "wealth, power, violence, and fear to get what he wanted." "He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law," Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik said. "It was his kingdom. Everyone was there to serve him." The core evidence of the prosecution's case was the disturbing and graphic nature of the drug-fueled "freak-offs" that at times Combs allegedly Slavik described to jurors how Combs forced his former lovers Ventura and Jane were sometimes required to perform the lewd acts, which were also called "hotel nights and wild king nights," while they were hurting from urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to prosecutors. On the other hand, Combs' Most read in Celebrity 'They go into the man's bedroom. They go into the man's most private life. Where is the crime scene? The crime scene is your private sex life. That's the crime scene," Marc Agnifilo, Combs' lead defense attorney, said during closing arguments. Agnifilo summarized the seven-week trial as a "tale of two trials," arguing one side is the one told by the evidence of the case, by witnesses, videos, and text messages, and the other was a "badly, badly, exaggerated" story told by prosecutors. The defense attorney argued the sexual encounters involving Combs, Ventura, "Jane," and male escorts were consensual, and called the "freak-offs," which were sometimes video recorded, "homemade porn." "You want to call it swingers, you want to call it threesomes, whatever you want to call it, that is what it is - that's what the evidence shows," Agnifilo told the jury. "He did what he did. But he's going to fight to the death to defend himself from what he didn't do," Agnifilo told the jury. Read our live blog of the verdict of Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial... By Jury has reached a verdict on some of the charges The jury has reached a verdict on the sex trafficking and transportation for engaging in prostitution charges. Copy link Copied
