£13,000 recovered from convicted trader after re-offending

Payment secured two years after conviction for illegal sports channel broadcasts

The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) has secured the repayment of more than £13,000 from a convicted trader, after he had evaded payment for over two years.

William Marston, 55, formerly of Knowsley Road, Norwich, who traded as Billie the Bookie, was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment in May for selling unauthorised TV decoders, in contravention of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, having previously been handed a 12-month suspended sentence for the same crime in 2016, after a private prosecution.

He had been ordered to pay back £12,042 in 2016, but failed to hand over any cash. In August 2017, ERSOU’s Asset Confiscation Enforcement (ACE) team was called in to assist and on Friday (9 November) recovered the outstanding debt, plus interest of £1,504, after securing his share in a property.

Nick Bentley Financial Investigation Manager of the ACE team said: “This confiscation order sends a clear message that anyone benefiting from their criminal actions will have those assets stripped from them, as crime will not pay. Through good partnership working between the ACE team and the South-East Regional Confiscation Unit we have recovered assets from another person who has profited from unlawful activity.”

Kieron Sharp, CEO of The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), said: “Following on from a sentence of imprisonment in May 2018, William Marston now has to pay back money that he made from his criminal enterprise. Others taking part in illegal streaming and other related criminality should be aware that the penalties for offending encompass the seizing of criminal profits as well as any sentence for the original offence. I would like to thank the officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit for pursuing Marston’s criminal assets using proceeds of crime legislation.”

Kevin Smith, General Counsel of SIS, said “We are very pleased that ERSOU has secured the payment of the confiscation order, following the custodial sentence in May. The court recognised that Marston’s actions undermined the entire system of how betting is licensed and racing is funded.  The  sentence handed down at the time highlighted that fact that the courts are prepared to treat copyright infringement as theft.  The fact that the authorities are prepared to recover the proceeds of crime further reinforces the consequences of this kind of criminal behavior.

“SIS has an obligation to its customers and rights holders alike to ensure that the value of content remains undiluted and will not hesitate to prosecute offenders in the future.”

About SIS

SIS (Sports Information Services Ltd) is a leading supplier of products and services to the online and retail betting markets and has been at the heart of global bookmaking for more than 30 years. SIS delivers multiple channels of live racing, data and commentary from racecourses and greyhound tracks in the UK, Ireland and across the world.

In addition to its satellite delivery network, SIS has developed its own low latency streaming platform – SIS Stream, which delivers quick, secure and high-quality pictures, data and virtual content across the globe. SIS continues to develop innovative solutions to suit bookmakers at all levels of the industry, and now provides competitive pricing for UK, Ireland and international horse racing, along with greyhound and other sports via its Trading Services offer.

For more information about SIS please visit www.sis.tv

About FACT

FACT is one of the UK’s leading intellectual property protection organisation protecting brands and businesses from intellectual property crime.

Established for over 35 years, FACT is at the forefront of the fight against intellectual property crime in the UK and internationally, specialising in protecting both physical and digital content. FACT leads the way in tackling digital piracy and is always up-to-date on technological changes and advancements.