A man has been sentenced to three years in prison following an investigation into an illegal streaming service that offered cheap access to premium TV channels and on-demand content.

Nishan Silva, aged 34 of Blackhorse Lane, Hitchin, was linked to the management and facilitation of an illicit streaming service operating under the names Andy UTV and Ultimate TV Service.

Silva appeared at Inner London Crown Court on October 2nd having pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to distributing an article infringing copyright, and two counts of acquiring or using criminal property

The court heard that Silva, who previously worked as an accountant, was involved in running the illegal subscription-based platform which provided access to a number of streaming services, including Sky channels.

An investigation began after Sky referred concerns about the service to police. Investigators established that the platform had approximately 2,600 followers. Enquiries uncovered that the service offered cheap access to all content, including live sports and international channels. Transactions were made via online payment platforms, using fake personal details.

Financial investigators uncovered that one account:

• Received £256,725.96 since its creation
• Had £125,940.99 withdrawn, including £20,100 transferred directly to Silva
• Held funds used for maintaining servers and running the service

Two bank accounts linked to the same scheme were also discovered to have been opened using fraudulently obtained identity documents.

Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt in the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), commented: “Silva was a highly intelligent accountant who abused both his expertise and trusted position to commit serious criminality. This activity should serve as a reminder that PIPCU will pursue criminals who seek to profit from illegal streaming and disrupt their operations. This is a crime that diverts funds away from the entertainment industries – money that supports thousands of technical and support staff. At the same time, it exposes end users to the risks of data theft, fraud and malware. We will continue to work with partners including Sky to ensure that this activity is disrupted and those involved are held to account.”

Matt Hibbert, Group Director of Anti-Piracy at Sky said: “We’re grateful to the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit for pursuing this case. It demonstrates the seriousness with which the courts treat these crimes. We remain committed to supporting efforts to shut down the theft of our content, and to protect consumers from the risks involved in illegal streaming. Silva will now be subject to action under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover the stolen funds.

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Categories: Articles, Content, Piracy

Tags: IPTV, PIPCU, piracy, sky