'Firestick man' who was 'the most persistent on Facebook' jailed

A dad-of-two who was sent to prison over the sale of illegally modified firesticks had gained notoriety online as "the firestick man". Jonathan Edge made a small business out of modifying Amazon devices for the streaming of premium sports, TV shows and movies from the likes of Sky and BT Sports.

Jonathan Edge, of Anfield Road, Liverpool, was sentenced to three years and four months after pleading guilty to three counts of fraud at Liverpool Crown Court this week. He advertised his services on Instagram and Facebook, where ECHO readers said they had received countless friend requests from him under the name "the firestick man".

One person said: "Thank god we can finally put a face to a friend request", while another joked: "The most persistent man on Facebook, the man needs a marketing job not jail". Another reader pondered whether he had been caught due to "the 950 friend requests he sent everyone".

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In court, Julian Nutter, defending, said Edge was "providing a service to people who would probably not be able to afford it otherwise", and that there was "an element of Robin Hood" to his crimes. The sentiment was echoed by several readers online who described the sentence as "shocking".

Others supported the sentence, as Edge has been issued with multiple takedown notices on social media and a cease and desist notice which "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".

He also had previous convictions for fraud, was on licence at the time he began his illegal trade, having been sentenced to three years for dealing cocaine in 2019.

One reader, RIMP50 said: "He continued to advertise his services even after being cautioned twice and signing an order to desist. His response was ignore these people, giving them no other choice but to pursue a case against him. Three strikes and you're out, it appropriate, although the sentence does appear to be harsh."

Another ECHO reader, FLOYD69 said: "He was given more than enough opportunity to walk away with no consequences but persisted, in effect putting two fingers up."

Following Edge's sentencing, Premier League General Counsel Kevin Plumb, Premier League general counsel, said: “We will continue to pursue legal action against those supplying unauthorised access to Premier League football, regardless of the scale or mode of operation. Ignoring warnings to stop only served to make the consequences worse for the individual.

“The selling of broadcast rights supports the Premier League’s industry-leading financial contribution to the whole football pyramid and we’re pleased that the courts have once again recognised the importance of safeguarding these rights with the outcome of this case. No matter the scale, we will continue to protect these rights by carrying out investigations and prosecuting illegal operators at every level.”

Kieron Sharp, CEO of FACT, the federation against copyright theft, added: “FACT are committed to investigating and acting against IP crime. Offenders should be aware that regardless of their level of operation or advertising methods, including word-of-mouth or platforms like Facebook, creating an illegal business for the purposes of selling stolen content to others will be investigated by the police, resulting in sentences such as the one given."