A man who ran an operation that offered illegal access to Premier League football has been given an eight-month suspended prison sentence.
Peter Dilworth (36) from The Wirral, Merseyside was found to be behind Marvel Stream UK, which offered the matches using coverage from Sky Sports and BT Sport.
Anti-piracy organisation FACT worked with Merseyside Police to identify Dilworth and in March, Merseyside Police arrested and interviewed him and searched his premises.
FACT Chief Executive Kieron Sharp said: “This is another step forward in the right direction in tackling the issue of illegal streaming, and we thank Merseyside Police for their work on this. Their support and assistance in procuring evidence for this prosecution were vital for the outcome of this case.
“As clearly shown by this result, enabling illegal access to streaming content is a crime with serious consequences, in this case, a criminal conviction plus a sentence of 8 months. It is also extremely risky and dangerous, exposing users to malware, viruses, identity theft, inappropriate content, and financial losses”.
FACT work with sports rights holders, broadcast partners, and others across the broadcast industry to investigate and prosecute suppliers of illegal streaming services and other piracy crimes, as well as those accessing illegal content.
Merseyside Police Detective Constable Gareth Jones said: “We welcome this sentence, which shows the value of working closely with our partners in law enforcement. Dilworth made a considerable amount of money from his dishonesty, and we are glad that this joint investigation has resulted in such a positive outcome.”
Dilworth must also complete 120 hours of unpaid work and six months of drug rehabilitation requirements.
