Five people are arrested on suspicion of selling Kodi TV streaming boxes

[Mickey]

Five people are arrested on suspicion of selling Kodi TV streaming boxes 'fully loaded' with apps to give access to illegal pirate services

• The devices were seized at homes in Bolton, Bootle, Manchester and Cheadle
• The suspects, aged between 33 and 60, were arrested but released on bail
• They made £250,000 from the sales of the boxes, according to police
• The boxes are legal, but illegal streaming services can be downloaded on them

Four men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of selling Kodi boxes, which have been set up to illegally stream subscription sports matches, films and TV for free.
The 'fully loaded' devices were taken at the homes of the suspects in Bolton, Bootle, Manchester and Cheadle, in the latest swoop in a major nationwide crackdown.
The suspects, aged between 33 and 60, were arrested in early morning raids.



Four men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of selling Kodi boxes, which have been set up to illegally stream subscription sports matches, films and TV for free



A warrant was also issued for a property in Rhyl, north Wales, but no one was arrested.
The suspects have made £250,000 from the sales of the boxes, according to police.
They were taken to police stations for questioning and have been released on bail.


Greater Manchester Police, Merseyside Police and City of London Police joined forces with investigators for the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) to carry out the arrests.
Similar combined raids are planned for other parts of the country, but specific locations cannot be disclosed at this stage.
What is Kodi TV?

Kodi is a free service that streams apps and on-demand services onto your TV.
The software, which is legal, can even be downloaded onto an Amazon Fire stick.
Blank boxes can be bought from most major retailers for as little as £20, with the software uploaded afterwards.
Users can play BBC iPlayer, Youtube, Soundcloud and other free catch-up apps on the device.
But many of the plug-ins the box offers are illegal.
Be wary if the box is pre-loaded to include subscription sport, TV and movies for free.
Commonly the 'fully loaded' boxes let users watch Premier League games or Sky Movies without paying a subscription fee.


Kieron Sharp, Director General of FACT, said: 'Today's day of action should send out a clear warning to anyone involved in the sale and distribution of illegal set-top boxes that law enforcement and industry take this matter very seriously.
'Set-top boxes loaded with apps and add-ons allowing access to copyright infringing material are very much illegal and anyone involved in selling these boxes should not be surprised to receive a knock on the door.'
FACT has no estimate of how many UK residents own the Kodi software.
Jo Johnson, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, said: 'Profiting from illegal streaming is completely unacceptable. The UK's creative industries are a national asset that must be protected.
'Today's efforts have shown that partnership works. I wish to congratulate FACT and the police for ending these criminal operations.'
This isn't the first time that someone has been arrested for selling 'fully loaded' Kodi boxes.




The boxes are legal to use but can have illegal streaming services downloaded on them





Brian Thompson, 54, from Middlesborough, is being prosecuted by Middlesborough Council on suspicion of selling Kodi boxes from his shop Cut Price Tomo TVs. He will stand trial in May

Terry O'Reilly, 53, was handed a four-year sentence in December 2016.
He is believed to have made more than £1million by selling more than 1,000 of the streaming boxes to pubs.
They were used to stream Premier League matches for free.
Will O'Leary, who worked with O'Reilly, was given a two-year suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty.
Brian Thompson, 54, is being prosecuted by Middlesborough Council on suspicion of selling Kodi boxes from his shop Cut Price Tomo TVs.
He will stand trial in May.



Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ing-boxes.html

[elephantsoup]

"He is believed to have made more than £1million by selling more than 1,000 of the streaming boxes to pubs."

So he was getting £1000 per kodi box... aye right.
Are all english pub landlords numpties?

[Bald Bouncer]

The have busted loads in the last week or so, I think after Hollywood withdrew funding for FACT they are doing everything they can to please SKY etc to get more cash from them, the amounts claimed don't surprise me as they will have a proceeds of crime action against them so regardless of the criminal action which I would be amazed if Brian Thompson (being that he is the so called test case) has a chance of winning, if he wins they will still go with the proceeds of crime action as it is a civil matter and they can claim any amount they wish and they have to prove it is incorrect rather than the other way round, if the monies are not recovered they go to jail and this is set in stone and the time goes up on a scale with the amount owed.

[WRATH OF BOD]

i think the one million comes from the pubs n clubs paying him monthly to keep them running smoothly, still a lot of units greedy twat lol
i think any one who pays the likes of the gimps on face book and fleebay for the kodi box must have a screw loose, all they need to do is google & with in minutes they are up n running as we all know

[TJB]

i think any one who pays the likes of the gimps on face book and fleebay for the kodi box must have a screw loose, all they need to do is google & with in minutes they are up n running as we all know

People are stupid. And lazy.