Pub owner hit with £22,000 fine for illegal Sky
The owner of three pubs has been hit with a bill of nearly £22,000 for showing Sky without a commercial licence - the largest penalty ever issued for a Sky case.
Damien Morgan, a director of Metro Bar and D and M Taverns, was sentenced yesterday at Acton Magistrates Court, after previously pleading guilty to eight offences.
He was fined £1,500 for each offence and ordered to pay £9,828 prosecution costs plus a £15 victim surcharge, bringing the total to £21,843.
The fines were for showing Sky without a commercial contract in three Captain Morgan pubs, in Greenford, Pinner and Hayes.
A spokeswoman 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 the Federation Against Copyright Theft in prosecuting licensees who break the law demonstrates our commitment to protecting the interests of our legitimate subscribers."
Sky said there has been more than 700 similar prosecutions to date, with more than 170 prosecutions this football season and more than 100 further cases with court dates scheduled or pending.
