A man who made £300,000 through the operation of an illegal streaming service before he fled the country, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Mark Brockley, 56, ran a subscription-based IPTV service known as aFINITY IPTV for around five years, between 2014 and 2019.
He was involved in the promotion, sale, and distribution of the service, generating substantial profits through unauthorised access to premium TV content.
The sentencing follows an investigation led by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), following a referral from BT, which identified Brockley as being involved in the illegal sale of streaming services.
Brockley was arrested and later charged with fraud and copyright offences at Liverpool Crown Court in June 2021. After being released on police bail, he failed to appear at multiple court hearings, and sentencing proceeded in his absence in May 2023.
Financial investigations revealed that Brockley had been using bank accounts based in France. Further digital enquiries eventually traced him to an apartment block in Spain. In August 2024, he was located and arrested in Girona during a coordinated operation involving the PIPCU, National Crime Agency (NCA), Europol, and Interpol.
However, having been released pending further investigation, Brockley appealed his extradition back to the UK and was subsequently bailed. He failed to attend multiple court hearings in Spain and was circulated as wanted by Spanish authorities.
In a coordinated effort between UK and Spanish authorities, Brockley was eventually arrested at Barcelona Airport while attempting to board a flight to the UK last week (Friday, 20 June).
He was remanded in custody at Heathrow Airport and will now begin his five-year sentence.
Detective Constable Geoff Holbrook from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at City of London Police, said: “This case is a clear example of how PIPCU, together with our national and international partners, will relentlessly pursue those seeking to profit from intellectual property crime. Thanks to the joint efforts of the NCA, Europol and Interpol, Brockley has finally been brought to justice, despite his attempts to evade accountability.”
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