A man convicted of selling set-top boxes illegally accessing Sky TV, BT Sports and Virgin has fled to northern Cyprus, a court has heard. Michael Hornung, 38, of Tameside, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for selling unauthorized decoders, selling items for use in fraud cases and advertising unauthorized decoders for sale.
He was found guilty in absentia after a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court last month. He did not attend a sentencing hearing on Thursday. The court said he fled to Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus, an area the UK has no extradition treaty with.
Hornung, formerly Hyde, is estimated to have sold around 2,700 set-top boxes over a three-year period between January 2014 and January 2017. The operation is estimated to have taken in around £350,000 with an estimated loss of around £2million to media companies.
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Speaking on behalf of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), prosecutor Ari Alibhai said Hornung supplied equipment that allowed customers to access “premium” subscription television, including pay-per-view events like boxing, without paying for it. He ran an account called “NoHatsNoTrainers” that offered the equipment for sale on a website called CS-world.
Mr. Alibhai said, “This was a sophisticated and lucrative deal that offers customers the ability to access television without paying the broadcasters or others with intellectual property rights to that content.”
It was “very difficult” to calculate exactly how much money Hornug made from the scam because he didn’t keep records, Mr Alibhai said, but a year’s PayPal transactions suggested annual turnover was around £125,000. “He made very large sums of money,” Alibahi said.
Hornung was arrested in February 2017 following a joint investigation by GMP and FACT. He initially cooperated with the court case, but later did not attend his trial and was convicted in absentia.
Judge Angela said Hornung “escaped on purpose”. “It is not unreasonable for this court to conclude that there was a planned escape,” she added.
The judge sentenced Hornung, formerly of Ravenswood Drive, to four and a half years in prison, saying, “These offenses were sophisticated and required a degree of technical skill and planning, and were carried out over an extended period of time.” A criminal hearing will be held on August 10 .
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