A man who made nearly a quarter of a million pounds from illegally streaming football matches and selling IPTV subscriptions is believed to be on the run from police in France. Mark Brockley, 54, failed to attend Liverpool Crown Court in March.
The man was found guilty in his absence of supplying articles for use in fraud and the fraudulent evasion of income tax by selling the subscriptions that allowed users to watch content broadcasted by giants BT Sport, including Premier League and UEFA Champions games, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Brockley sold the deals through a service called Infinity Streams and was sentenced to five years imprisonment on Friday, May 5 at court but his current whereabouts are said to be unknown to investigators.
Officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police have concluded that Brockley evaded prosecution by travelling to France with his dog. He is due to serve his sentence once arrested by police.
Detective Constable Geoffrey Holbrook, from the PIPCU at City of London Police, said: “Brockley made tens of thousands of pounds from an illegal activity and used the money to fund his lifestyle. Despite being interviewed by PIPCU officers and knowing that his actions were against the law, he continued to sell IPTV subscriptions and then left the country in an attempt to avoid the consequences of his actions.
“We are now appealing for information on Brockley’s whereabouts, and ask anyone who may be able to help to contact the City of London Police.”
Brockley, from Liverpool, had made 5,251 sales with a total value of £237,058 from 24 October 2014 to 8 May 2019. BT had reported a Twitter account to PIPCU in 2018 with the username @Infinity_IPTV. The account was said to be advertising premium film, television and sports content to subscribers for a month-long price of £15.
Of the over 5000 sales made, 1408 of these made a 'clear reference' IPTV services, but officers from PIPCU believe that the remaining payments were also related to the sale of these services.
A search warrant was issued for the 54-year-old's home on July 24, 2019 with a laptop and mobile phone seized that link him to the Twitter account in question. £1,200 in cash was also seized.
Anyone with information on Brockley’s whereabouts can contact the City of London Police on 020 7601 2222, quoting 18000532990. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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