Guilty plea in Milford Haven piracy case
April 22, 2026
By Colin Mann
A man from Milford Haven in South West Wales has admitted a series of piracy offences said to have caused an estimated £6 million (€6.9m) loss to pay-TV providers including Amazon Prime, BT Sport and Sky.
Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court heard that Michael David Barrow operated over a five-year period, supplying aadapted Amazon Fire TV sticks and apps that allowed customers to access paid television services without paying the necessary subscription fees.
Prosecuting on behalf of the FA Premier League, Ari Alibhai KC told District Judge Mark Layton that the offences occurred between October 2019 and February 2024.
“The offences concern the operation and supply of what is collectively termed a streaming service,” he said. “This involved hardware such as Fire Sticks, but also app-based services to enable customers to access paid television services such as Sky, BT Sport and online videos which would normally attract a subscription fee, thus enabling customers to bypass the cost.”
The court heard that Barrow’s customer extended across the UK. “According to Snap, he had around 1,800 users and was paid in cash as well as through PayPal,” said Alibhai. “It’s estimated that the defendant received approximately £213,000 while the scale of potential loss to the broadcasters is around £6 million. This is not an exact sum, but it is indicative of the effects that this kind of piracy has.”
According to the prosecution, an aggravating feature of the case was that Barrow had previously been warned about his activities. In 2021, he was sent a cease and desist notice telling him to stop supplying the illegal services.
“The notice indicated, in black and white, the potential consequences. He failed to respond,” said Alibhai.
Barrow pleaded guilty to making and supplying applications, apps and other electronic data enabling access to pay-TV services without appropriate payment being made; supplying apps and other electronic data enabling access to pay television content without appropriate payment being made; and supplying Amazon Fire TV sticks which, when adapted, enabled access to pay television content without appropriate payment being made.
Given the seriousness of the offences, Judge Layton declined jurisdiction. Barrow will be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court.