Pub licensee in Newport had to pay nearly £6,000 for streaming Sky without permission

[Len]

A MAN has been ordered to pay nearly £6,000 for illegally showing Sky Sports at a Newport pub without holding a licence.

Peter John Cregg, of the Hereford Arms in Hereford Street, pleaded guilty to four offences of dishonest reception of a television programme with intent to avoid payment.

Sky Sports is only available to licensed premises in the UK via a commercial viewing agreement from Sky Business.

The licensee broadcast the channels between March and May of this year, and appeared at Cwmbran Magistrates Court on Monday.

Cregg was fined £1,066 per offence and was ordered to pay costs of £1,381 and a victim surcharge of £170, bringing the total costs to £5,815.

The prosecution was led by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), an industry body tasked with protecting the intellectual property of its members.

Stephen Gerrard, prosecuting manager for FACT, believes the case should send a clear warning to pub owners and licensees who show Sky broadcasts without a commercial subscription.

“If convicted, fines for this offence are unlimited and you may have to pay substantial legal costs, as well as putting yourself at risk of having your licence suspended or revoked,” he added.

Sky continue to work with FACT in order to protect pubs and clubs who invest in legitimate Sky Sports subscriptions.

The telecommunications company say they are committed to visiting every licensed premises reported by other publicans for showing Sky illegally, and are prepared to visit hundreds of pub each week in towns and cities across the UK this year.

George Lawson, head of commercial piracy at Sky, said: “It’s important to us that businesses are aware of the consequences of copyright infringement – it is a serious issue that is damaging to the sector, and those licensees who choose to televise content in this way should be aware that they are at high risk of being caught and face substantial penalties”.