A serving Corporal in the Royal Air Force (RAF) who sold illegal services which provided access to premium sport, TV and films has been sentenced to ten months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. He was convicted of conspiracy to defraud and loss of service property and also received a reduction to his rank.

The Corporal, of Oxfordshire, sold illegal subscriptions through a Facebook group and via an app which could be loaded onto Firestick devices with an accompanying subscription. Subscribers to his services have been identified and further action is anticipated.

Investigations by FACT, in partnership with the RAF Special Investigation Branch, confirmed that the individual was working with illegal content providers outside of the military to defraud rightsholders by allowing consumers to bypass legitimate subscriptions. Investigations into these additional providers are continuing.

FACT Chief Executive Kieron Sharp commented: “Those running illegal streaming services are committing a serious crime and must be held accountable for their actions.
“This result shows the serious consequences faced by individuals who choose to break the law by supplying illegal content. This type of conviction will have a significant and long-lasting effect on this individual’s career and future opportunities.
“We thank the RAF for their work on this and FACT will continue to monitor channels used to advertise, market, sell and distribute apps, devices and streams to take action against suppliers and operators”