Man given £1m fine on top of 7-year jail term for selling devices which illegally streamed Premier League games

Steven King masterminded the Dreambox pirate streaming operation

A man found guilty of providing illegal streaming devices which allowed access to unauthorised Premier League content has been ordered to pay a £1m fine. Steven King, who was jailed for seven years and four months in March 2019, was one of three men behind the Dreambox pirate streaming operation. At Warwick Crown Court on Monday, he was given three months to pay back £963,000 - equal to the amount he has made from from providing the illegal devices - or face having his jail term near doubled. The judge also ruled that King must give up his passport within the next four weeks and will be unable to travel abroad until the fine has been paid.

The three men behind Dreambox jailed for total of 17 years

The three men behind Dreambox, who have since been jailed for a total of 17 years for conspiracy to defraud, provided illegal access to Premier League football to more than 1,000 pubs, clubs and homes throughout England and Wales. The original case was privately prosecuted by the Premier League after they worked with FACT, an organisation which investigates cyber crime, fraud, theft and intellectual property crime.

Premier League on the court ruling

"This result clearly shows that supplying illegal streams is a criminal offence leading to prison sentences and significant financial consequences," said Premier League General Counsel Kevin Plumb in a statement. "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." FACT CEO Kieron Sharp added: "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." https://twitter.com/plcomms/status/1533835169198657537?s=21&t=heurn6M8WJE2XovriqVMNw