Licence suspended for illegal Sky screening
A licensee has had his personal licence suspended for six months for screening Sky football in a pub using a domestic contract.
It follows the case of ex-Hampshire licensee Brett Roberts, who became the first person to have his personal licence revoked for the offence last month.
Leon Miller of the Imperial Hotel, Martyrsfield Road, Canterbury, Kent, was found guilty of the criminal offence of dishonest reception of a television transmission when he appeared at Canterbury Magistrates Court.Case after case demonstrates how we are successfully pursuing and prosecuting those licensees who are fraudulently showing Sky programmes in their premises.Stephen Gerrard, prosecuting manager at FACT.
The court suspended Miller's personal licence for six months under the Licensing Act 2003, and also ordered him to pay fines and costs of £1,638.
The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) conducted this prosecution as part of Sky's ongoing crack down on pubs that show Sky without the correct viewing contract.
There have been more than 700 similar prosecutions to date; more than 100 this football season alone, with 100 further cases with court dates scheduled or pending.
Stephen Gerrard, prosecuting manager at FACT, said: "We will continue to see publicans lose their licenses and pay substantial fines if they persist in breaking the law in this way.
"Case after case demonstrates how we are successfully pursuing and prosecuting those licensees who are fraudulently showing Sky programmes in their premises."
A spokesperson for Sky said, "This case demonstrates how seriously the courts take this issue and the penalties for illegally showing Sky programming.
"We remain committed to working with FACT to prosecute licensees who break the law in order to protect the interests of our legitimate customers."
In a landmark case last month, a judge used his powers under the Licensing Act to order the personal licence of former licensee Brett Roberts to be forfeited.
Roberts, formerly of the India Arms in Southsea, was found guilty of showing Sky football without a commercial contract when he appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on 17 May.
