Man selling dodgy firesticks said he was 'grassed on'

A man who made a small business out of modifying Amazon firesticks for the illegal streaming of premium sports, TV shows and movies complained that he had been "grassed on" when he was caught. Jonathan Edge, 29, made at least £15,000 modifying the devices at his Anfield home between April 2020 and December 2023.

He advertised his services on Facebook and Instagram at a cost of £30 per firestick, with discounts offered for the purchase of multiple firesticks. The illegally modified devices gave customers access to subscription-based content belonging to Sky and BT Sport, as well as a library of around 10,000 blockbuster films, worth "well over £1m".

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His advertising was noticed by FACT, the federation against copyright theft, in October 2020, and the authority issued takedown notices to have the ads removed.

Ari Alibhai, prosecuting on behalf of 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 issued the takedown requests, did in fact have the defendant's ads removed from the platforms. The defendant's response was to repost identical adverts. On August 22 2022, almost two years after the investigation began, the defendant was issued with a cease and desist notice, which was signed for on September 2."

Cease and desist notices are commonly sent in cases of copyright infringement, and this "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 said: "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."

Edge continued to advertise his business on social media despite receiving multiple further takedown requests from FACT. In August 2023, an undercover FACT investigator carried out a test purchase of four illegal firesticks from Edge at a cost of £100. These firesticks were examined, and the federation's findings were passed onto Merseyside Police.

On December 13 2023, police officers carried out a search warrant at Edge's house on Anfield Road and seized a mobile phone, on which they found the names of 500 customers. Edge, who has 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.

He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, where he pleaded guilty 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 said Edge was "a rather wretched individual who has got out of his depth". Sentencing the dad of two to 40 months in prison, Judge Andrew Menary said: "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.

"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."