They were searching for Paul Mahoney, the operator of streaming links site FastPassTV and discussion and linking forum BedroomMedia. Police arrested Mahoney while seizing computer equipment and cash totaling £83,000.
After being charged in February 2015, Mahoney pleaded not guilty. Several months later, however, he had a change of heart.
At a June hearing the 30-year-old pleaded guilty to all four charges against him including allowing the public to view copyrighted movies without rightsholder permission, conspiracy, and generating up to £300,000 in advertising revenue.
During a pre-sentence hearing last month, Judge Philip Babington was told by the prosecution that Mahoney could have cost the movie industry £120 million.
Mahoney appeared at Londonderry Crown Court this morning at 11:00am for sentencing and it’s bad news for the partially sighted man. The Court sentenced Mahoney to four years in prison, two of which will be spent on license.
“These offenses represent offending which undoubtedly put at risk very many millions of pounds as far as the greater entertainment industry was concerned,” Judge Philip Babington said.
“Offending such as this affects everyone in society at the end of the day although primarily the interests of those involved in film production, the results of which we all enjoy.”
Judge Babington said that Mahoney had put together “a very sophisticated scheme” which had allowed people to “view films on very many millions of occasions for nothing” while generating money from advertising.
He added that he had been left with no other alternative than to pass a custodial sentence “to show that behavior of this nature does not go unpunished.”
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