Craig Austin, a 38-year-old former NHS ambulance service employee, built a secret side hustle selling illegal IPTV subscriptions that earned him more than £200,000, Liverpool Crown Court heard. He supplied over 1,000 customers with access to Sky Sports and BT Sports (now TNT Sports) streams over roughly five years.
Austin promoted the services through social media, telling police he was trying to "make ends meet" after his wife lost her job. Prosecutors said 1,116 users had been identified and Austin received £205,700.72 in payments. As he was spared jail, cries of "yes" were heard from his supporters in court, the Liverpool Echo reported.
Scale of the operation
An anti-piracy investigator from Sky estimated that Austin's activities could have potentially cost the broadcaster more than £3.5 million. Austin was identified as the operator of an X account called 'Aussie 90' which advertised "dodgy fire sticks". His account came to the attention of Merseyside Police and FACT after test purchases were made in March 2023 and May 2025.
Detectives examined Austin's PayPal and bank accounts, uncovering customer payments dating back to January 2020. Police later raided his home in Whiston on August 7 last year, seizing mobile phones and fire sticks. Olivia Belle, prosecuting, described how Austin would offer six-month subscriptions for Sky Sports and BT Sports streams via IPTV for £40, or £80 for 12 months.
Court proceedings and sentencing
During his police interview, Austin told officers he had stopped the operation the previous June after he "realised that people were being prosecuted". He also admitted he "knew it was dodgy" but was doing it to make ends meet after his wife lost her job. Austin, who has no previous convictions, has two young children.
Nicola Daley, defending, told the court that his remorse and efforts to rebuild his life should be taken into account. She said: "In my submission, although this is, on the one hand, serious offending, that is outweighed on the balancing scales by the significant mitigation. In my submission, his genuine remorse feeds into the realistic prospect of rehabilitation."
Austin admitted three counts of making or supplying an article for use in fraud and acquiring criminal property. He was handed a 32-month sentence suspended for three years with 150 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days.
Judge's remarks
Sentencing, Recorder Daniel Lister said he was satisfied Austin had demonstrated remorse after engaging in "five years worth of serious dishonesty". The judge added: "It is clear that you are not only someone with another side to you, because you are a caring and attentive father and husband, but you have also worked in a responsible role with the ambulance service and conducted yourself in that role in a way that would be commendable."
Mr Lister said there is a "level of sophistication" in the nature of Austin's offending but that he was sure the dad is "very unlikely to be involved with the criminal justice system in this way again." The judge continued: "The mitigation in this case is your lack of previous convictions, your remorse, your positive good character, the personal circumstances that have been set out to me in the way that you support your wife and children and that you have prospects of work in the future."
He added: "This is really serious behaviour. The figures involved are eye-watering."
