Police in West Mercia have arrested a man in connection with the suspected illegal streaming of premium TV channels.
The 56 year old was detained in Shrewsbury following an investigation in partnership with FACT. He has now been released under investigation pending further enquiries.
Sergeant Ian Osborne from West Mercia’s Cyber Crime Unit said: “This operation is the unit’s first arrest in relation to online streaming and sends out a strong message that we are homing in on those who knowingly commit or facilitate online copyright infringement.”
During the warrant, officers were able to access and disrupt the online platform, disable the suspected illegal streams and deliver an on screen message to those who receive them warning that the content accessed is suspected to be unlawful.
“Piracy is fraud and anyone motivated by financial gain from doing this needs to know that this is a crime which will be taken seriously by Police,” Kieron Sharp, CEO of FACT added. “There is also a risk to users and subscribers of pirate services, who commit an offence themselves, of identity theft, fraud, malware and viruses.
Sharp thanked West Mercia Police for their work on the case so far.
