IPTV prosecutions in the UK: the cases and the sentences

A pattern runs through the court reports: the services were cheap, they carried UK Sports, TNT Sports and the Premier League, and they made their owners a lot of money before the police arrived.

Chorley, August 2026: six and a half years

Milan Ibrahim, 68, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on 27 August 2026 after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud. PIPCU found that he captured broadcasts from the BBC, ITV, Sky and the Premier League, along with films from members of the Motion Picture Association, converted them for streaming, and sold subscriptions in the UK and to British expats abroad.

• Scale: 80 servers in premises in Chorley, all seized and switched off.
• Money: £980,812 in criminal profit over three years.
• Sentence: 6.5 years, with Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings to follow.

Hitchin, 2025: three years for an accountant

Nishan Silva, 34, ran a service sold as “Andy UTV” and “Ultimate TV Service”. Sky referred it to police. He pleaded guilty to distributing an article infringing copyright and to two counts of acquiring or using criminal property. One account linked to the service had received about £256,726. PIPCU’s investigator said Silva had abused his professional skills to run it.

Flawless TV, 2023: more than thirty years between five men

Flawless was one of the largest services in the UK, with tens of thousands of subscribers. In 2023 five men were jailed for more than 30 years in total; the organiser received 11. The case was brought privately by the Premier League, and in 2025 the court ordered the defendants to repay £3,750,000.

What do the cases have in common?

Why does this matter to someone buying a subscription?

Two reasons. First, a service that is shut down stops instantly, and an annual plan paid last week is gone. Second, customer records are evidence. Since December 2025 they have been used to contact viewers directly. Before you pay anyone, read how to spot an IPTV scam and what the law says about viewers.