North London licensee convicted for using domestic Sky card to show football in pub

Levent Senverdi, of the White Horse in Edmonton, was found guilty of four offences of dishonest reception without a commercial viewing agreement at Enfield Magistrates Court on 22 November.

He was ordered to pay a total of £8,315 in fines and costs.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) conducted the prosecution as part of Sky’s ongoing commitment to crack down on a minority of landlords who continue to show Sky in their pubs without the correct viewing contract.

Stephen Gerrard, prosecuting manager for FACT, said: “Our aim is to help create an effective deterrent to publicans who endeavour to fraudulently show Sky content on their premises. As numerous cases have shown we successfully pursue and prosecute dishonest licensees who are then faced with substantial fines, costs and a criminal record.”

A spokesperson for Sky said: “This case demonstrates the seriousness of this issue as courts continue to deliver considerable penalties to licensees who televise Sky content illegally. Sky’s ongoing support for FACT in prosecuting licensees who break the law demonstrates our commitment to protecting the interests of our legitimate subscribers.”