Licence suspension for publican over Sky screening

A Coventry licensee has had his personal licence suspended for six months for illegally showing Sky.

Nigel Gilder, of the Elephant and Castle, had the licence suspended following a successful prosecution by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT). On 4 May 2011 at Coventry Magistrates Court, Gilder was convicted of two offences of dishonest reception of a television transmission under the Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988.

Gilder received a six month personal licence suspension and was also ordered to pay a total of £715 in fines and costs.

FACT conducted the prosecution as part of Sky's ongoing commitment to crack down on landlords who continue to show Sky without the correct viewing contract.

Stephen Gerrard, prosecuting manager, FACT, said: "Our aim is to help create an effective deterrent to publicans who endeavour to fraudulently show Sky programmes on their premises. As numerous cases have shown we successfully pursue and prosecute dishonest licensees who are then faced with substantial fines, costs and a criminal record."

A spokesperson for Sky said: 'This case demonstrates the seriousness of this issue as courts continue to deliver considerable penalties to licensees who televise Sky content illegally. Sky's ongoing support for FACT in prosecuting licensees who break the law demonstrates our commitment to protecting the interests of our legitimate subscribers"

There have been more than 1,500 similar prosecutions to date, with more than 70 prosecutions so far this football season alone. Over 100 cases are in the pipeline.