Man jailed for selling illegal football streaming boxes ordered to pay £1m

A man jailed for selling illegal devices providing unauthorised streams of Premier League matches has been ordered to pay back almost £1m following a court ruling.

Steven King, who was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud in 2019 and sentenced to seven years and four months in prison, has now been told to forfeit the proceeds of his criminal activities.

A judge at Warwick crown court ruled on Monday that King must surrender £963,000 within three months or face having his sentence extended by an additional six years and eight months.

The Premier League has confirmed it has requested the returned money go to the public purse. Kevin Plumb, the Premier League general counsel, said: “This result clearly shows that supplying illegal streams is a criminal offence leading to prison sentences and significant financial consequences.

“We are pleased the courts have recognised the seriousness of piracy-related crimes and the Premier League has requested all money recovered goes back to public bodies, including law enforcement agencies, to help them continue the fantastic work they do in helping bring people like this to justice.

“The vast majority of our fans watch Premier League action via authorised sources but for those who don’t, they must be aware this is not only an illegal activity that can lead to custodial sentences but they also risk becoming victims of hacking and fraud.

“We will continue to work with law-enforcement to tackle piracy of our content and to educate fans on the dangers of watching Premier League matches via unauthorised streams.”

The original case against Dreambox was a private prosecution brought by the Premier League following a joint investigation with the Federation Against Copyright Theft.

Kieron Sharp, chief executive of FACT, said: “This is a warning to anyone selling subscriptions or devices that allow access to content without remunerating the legitimate provider – you risk time in jail and the loss of your properties, cars and other proceeds of crime.

“FACT will continue to work with the Premier League and other rights-holders to crack down on illegal streaming and to hold those behind it accountable for their actions.” The Guardian