A man who turned modifying Amazon firesticks for illegal streaming of premium sports, TV shows and films into a small business moaned that he had been “grassed on” when he was nabbed. Jonathan Edge, 29, pocketed at least £15,000 from tweaking the devices at his house in Liverpool between April 2020 and December 2023.
He flogged his services on Facebook and Instagram for £30 per firestick, offering discounts for bulk buys. The dodgy devices gave punters access to subscription-based content from Sky and BT Sport, plus a library of around 10,000 blockbuster flicks, worth “well over £1m”.
His adverts were spotted by FACT, the federation against copyright theft, in October 2020, leading to takedown notices to get the ads pulled.
Ari Alibhai, prosecuting for the Premier League, said: “This is the first stage of trying to combat piracy. The ads were placed on both Facebook and Instagram, typically on groups dedicated to his local area.FACT, after issuing the takedown requests, did indeed get the defendant’s ads yanked from the platforms. The defendant’s response was to repost identical adverts. On August 22 2022, almost two years after the investigation kicked off, the defendant was slapped with a cease and desist notice, which was signed for on September 2.”
Cease and desist notices are typically used in instances of copyright infringement, and it “made explicitly clear that this was a criminal offence, and highlighted previous cases where a defendant who committed a similar deed received a custodial sentence”. Mr Alibhai stated: “The following day, the defendant issued a post on Facebook in which he complained he had been ‘grassed on’ and indicated his intention to continue this TV firestick service.”
Despite getting multiple takedown requests from FACT, Edge kept advertising his business on social media, reports the Liverpool Echo.
In August 2023, a test purchase of four firesticks from Edge for £100 was conducted by an undercover FACT investigator. These devices were examined and the results were passed on to Merseyside Police.
A search warrant was carried out by police at Edge’s Anfield Road home on December 13, 2023, and 500 customer names were discovered on a seized phone. Edge, who had previously been convicted of fraud, was on licence when he began his illicit trade after being given a three-year sentence for dealing cocaine in 2019.
He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court, where he admitted to three counts of fraud. Julian Nutter, defending, said: “The background is he had lost his employment in a restaurant as a result of the Covid emergency, and he had been doing this on an ad hoc basis, but nothing like what it became, and after he lost his job he used this to maintain his family. There are two children, aged nine and 12.
“He was taking far too much cannabis and he was not his normal self. He was a bottom feeder and not some exotic big fish. He was operating from his own home, and this was not a sophisticated business scheme. There was none of the trappings of a proper business enterprise.”
He added: “Whether of not he made a significant profit is an issue which is raised. The point should be made on his behalf that the people who would buy his products would not be people who are likely to have the money to buy a Sky subscription. They have limited income. The people he would be been dealing with in the Merseyside area would hardly be the same as toffs in London who would have money coming in from the city. He was providing a service to people who would probably not be able to afford it otherwise. There’s an element of a Robin Hood to all that.”
He described Edge as “a rather wretched individual who has got out of his depth”.
During the sentencing, Judge Andrew Menary handed down a 40-month prison term to the father of two, stating: “Many broadcasters and other media outlets make TV content available online, which can be accessed legitimately if users pay for a subscription. This revenue stream is vital to allow the companies to continue to provide the services, and to avoid this subscription is not only dishonest but also threatens the operations of these services. People like you seem to think it’s clever or funny or a legitimate con if you can get away with it. But the reality is broadcasters lose millions through such activity.”
He added: “The defence submits on your behalf you were operating at the bottom of the chain, a somewhat wretched and pathetic individual; out of his depth. I do not accept that. Your activities were blatant, and probably because you never thought you would be held to account.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.