A Sheppey pub licensee has been convicted of illegally showing Sky Sports.

Thomas Holland, of The Goat Inn, in Sheerness High Street, was sentenced earlier this month.

He was charged with three offences of dishonest reception of TV football matches.

Holland was ordered to pay full costs of £2,824.28, which also included a £20 victim surcharge.

He was also given an 18-month conditional discharge, meaning he will not be punished as long as he does not commit another offence in that time.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) brought the criminal prosecution at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court against the licensee for showing Sky Sports to customers without having valid commercial viewing agreements in place.

Licensees are warned showing Sky broadcasts without a commercial viewing agreement risk similar action or even a criminal prosecution.

Sky’s head of commercial piracy, George Lawson, said: "It’s important to us that businesses are aware of the consequences of showing Sky Sports illegally – it is a serious issue that is damaging to the pub industry, and those licensees who choose to televise content in this way should be aware that they are at high risk of being caught and face substantial penalties.

"We visit thousands of pubs every season to monitor games they are showing and continue to support FACT’s work."

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