Satellite hosts escape conviction
Seven of the nine licensees tried so far in the mass prosecutions for foreign satellite screenings have escaped conviction.
It's a blow to the Premier League as it looks to crack down on foreign satellite broadcasts. However, licensees have been warned to be wary of screening games via the systems.
In October the 26 accused licensees from 19 pubs formed a group to organise a combined defence against dishonestly receiving foreign satellite football transmissions. But the magistrate in Chester ruled that each case must be heard individually.
Of the nine licensees who have gone to trial so far, seven have been cleared of acting dishonestly, and two were found guilty.
The hosts were charged with dishonestly receiving TV transmissions via Albanian channel DigitAlb, to screen Premier League football.
All 26 hosts are represented by Paul Dixon, of Molesworths Bright Clegg, who said: "Media Protection Services (MPS) could not prove that my clients had acted dishonestly in seven of the nine cases."
The remaining two were found guilty of dishonestly receiving transmissions as they had continued to screen foreign satellite games even after MPS had visited.
"I believe my clients are honest, hard-working people, and I hope the judge will see that in each and every case," said Dixon.
There are 17 more cases still to be heard by the magistrates.
Keith Bannister, who runs Harleys Bar in Staveley, near Chesterfield, was one of those acquitted last week. He told the Morning Advertiser that he showed the judge "glossy brochures" from satellite companies to support his argument that he did not know that receiving the matches from abroad was illegal.
MPS managing director Ray Hoskin said: "We've lost a handful of cases on subjective dishonesty grounds. The court has been very fair in considering each case on its merits."
Hoskin added that another two foreign satellite suppliers "have now identified themselves".
Morning Advertiser legal editor Peter Coulson warned licensees that they risk prosecution if they know they are breaching copyright rules on screening premiership football. "There have been a number of successful convictions and these cases do not set a precedent nor suggest that screening foreign satellite football is legal," he added.
'Amnesty' possible, says top cop
A top policeman says there could be an "amnesty" for pubs screening foreign satellite football in his region.
Detective inspector Michael Reed is from Humberside, where last week 12 pubs were raided in a crackdown on "illegal" football screenings. "We have visited 12 pubs, but we know there are others doing this," Reed told the Hull Daily Mail.
"We may decide to have an amnesty for any pubs that want us to take the equipment from them, which may avoid the need for a further operation." Reed is to discuss the idea with MPS at a later date.
