West Yorkshire licensees fined £17,000 for showing Sky illegally

Two West Yorkshire licensees have been fined £17,000 for showing Sky Sports programmes illegally at their premises

Angela Briscoe and Edward Geater of the Bold Privateer in Shipley, West Yorkshire were fined following a successful prosecution by the Federation Against Copyright Theft.

On 21 November 2011 at Bradford Magistrates Court, the pair were each convicted of five offences in relation to dishonest reception of a television transmission.

Geater was convicted of four additional offences of dishonest reception of a television transmission at the Branch hotel, Bradford Road, Shipley, West Yorkshire.

They were ordered to pay a total of £17,014 in fines and costs.

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."

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By Neil Gerrard

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