the incredible story of this pirate with an impeccable profile sent to prison

On paper, the fact that a 42-year-old man is sent to prison for reselling IPTV subscriptions has become quite commonplace. But the case of Paul Merrell is truly unique, so much so that some compare him to Walter White of Breaking Bad.

An exemplary man on paper

Our colleagues from TorrentFreak tell the story of this British deputy head teacher from Coventry with a clean criminal record. Brilliant in his role and appreciated by all, the latter even received universal praise for his action.

Alongside this official activity, he heard about an ITPV business on Facebook. He himself subscribed to an illegal operator to watch programs. Little by little, he became a reseller by taking a code name: Media Maverick.

Its customers can then benefit from pirated access to Sky TV and BT Sport packages (among others), in particular to watch the famous Premier League for only 12 euros per month, or 90% less than if they would have to subscribe to the all subscriptions offered.

Cautious, the man declares profits of 25,000 pounds sterling to the Taxman in the category “online educational resources and support”. An investigator makes a purchase from Media Maverick and the authorities end up tracking him down. At the end of January 2021, a warrant executed at his home found five electronic devices and Paul Merrell admits to having served 1,000 customers since 2017.

Increasingly firm repression

Despite the Briton's requests, the Court refused his request for a suspended sentence and confirmed his sentence to 12 months' imprisonment. She considers that the offense is too serious for a reduced sentence.

In any case, this story illustrates to what extent the repression falls on pirates. Customers are now also targeted. We have already spoken to you recently about these fines which can reach up to 5,000 euros to which Italian fraudsters are exposed.

Recently, a bartender, who also used this illegal means of broadcasting meetings, received a large fine and was prosecuted. To find out more about it, click here.

What to remember:

On paper, Paul Merrell, a 42-year-old Briton, was exemplary
Deputy headteacher, the man was praised for his educational skills and the way he managed the establishment in Coventry
At the same time as this official activity, the latter marketed IPTV. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison