Jonathan Edge, a 29-year-old Liverpool resident, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to three years and four months in prison for supplying illicit streaming services via modified Firesticks.
Edge also received an additional concurrent sentence of two years and three months for personally accessing and viewing unauthorised content, as per his guilty plea to three offences under the Fraud Act.
The prosecution, led by the Premier League with support from FACT and Merseyside Police, highlighted Edge’s operation, which relied on advertising through Facebook and word-of-mouth. Edge accepted cash payments to upload illegal streaming services onto Firestick devices. Despite receiving multiple warnings, Edge continued his activity, which the judge noted as an aggravating factor in his sentencing.
Kevin Plumb, the Premier League’s General Counsel, stated, “The significant sentence handed down to the individual involved once again serves to highlight the severity of his actions and we thank Merseyside Police for their support throughout the case.
“We will continue to pursue legal action against those supplying unauthorised access to Premier League football, regardless of the scale or mode of operation. Ignoring warnings to stop only served to make the consequences worse for the individual. ”
FACT’s CEO, Kieron Sharp, echoed this commitment, warning that any illegal operation – regardless of its advertising methods – will be pursued and prosecuted.
Merseyside Police Detective Sergeant Steve Frame added, “Many people see no harm in illegally streaming TV services but they are wrong, and this outcome should serve as a further warning how seriously such copyright theft continues to be taken.”
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