A DUO who made more than £320,000 selling illegal subscriptions to watch sports online have been handed a suspended sentence.

Benjamin Yates and Lewis Finch, whose business traded under the name Titan Streams, pleaded guilty to illegally supplying Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), which allows access to services such as Sky and BT Sport (now TNT Sports).

Yates, aged 34, from Worcester, and Finch, aged 31, from Rushwick, were convicted of offences under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The court sentenced Yates, of The Fairway, Tolladine, and Finch, of Baradene Lane, Rushwick, to 20 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and 250 hours of unpaid work.

The prosecution followed an investigation by Worcestershire County Council’s Trading Standards team with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and BT.

Test purchases by FACT and BT led to the case being referred to Trading Standards and entry warrants being executed at both their addresses.

An examination of IT equipment seized during the investigation confirmed that both men had been heavily involved in the provision of IPTV services with approximately 3,971 subscribers.

Their PayPal accounts showed that payments of over £320,000 had been received over three years.

Simon Wilkes, Head of Worcestershire Regulatory Services said: “Trading Standards are committed to protecting the rights of legitimate businesses. This joint investigation has led to a successful outcome, which sends a clear message that we will seek out and prosecute those who are involved in this type of crime.

“This is not a victimless crime; it damages the interests of those who own the intellectual property rights to the subscription TV services and can affect legitimate customers through higher subscription prices.”

Those with information about the sale of illegal streams or counterfeit goods can report it to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.