Fugitive British National Arrested in Thailand over £7m Fraud Case

[1happykamper]

  On 7/9/2023 at 11:41 PM, turgid said:

It's not true. The  ring leader got 11 the rest got 4-6.  It made a better story to add them all up to 30.

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I can see the judge in court now... Using a calculator to add 11+4+6 etc. ????????????????????????

[Muzzique]

What a group of numpties. Anyone with an ounce of tech knowledge would know what not to do when running a highly illegal business redistributing live streaming DRM protected content. This is how they got caught. 

 

 

That´s like hiding your Man Cave porn stash in a top secret location in a hidden cellar beneath your garage, behind a secret door inside an alarmed bank level safe with a time-locked encrypted 10 digit biometric PIN CODE, only for your wife to find a disk left in the Blu ray player.

[ukrules]

  On 7/9/2023 at 10:16 PM, webfact said:

Five of the accused had been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment each

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No they weren't

[Bangkok Barry]

  On 7/9/2023 at 11:44 PM, JayClay said:

Damages of 7 million, doesn't mean he actually made 7 million baht. That is the figure the copyright holders suggest they have lost assuming that every customer of his would have paid full price for an equivalent package from a legitimate rights holder.

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Like fake Gucci etc goods. I would consider subscribing to Sky channels, but they refuse or are unable to sell to the millions of potential expat customers around the world. I have no idea why. While they can't or won't, others can and do. Simples. It reminds me of the 70's (?) when Napster made music available to download. The record companies and authorities got their knickers in a twist, before eventually the companies themselves made music available for download. Maybe TV will also catch up, eventually.

[Liverpool Lou]

  On 7/9/2023 at 10:56 PM, sidjameson said:

For a man with allegedly £7 million in his pocket you'd think he'd be able to afford to pay for his gf to dye her roots. 

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It didn't say that he had made £7m, it said that he had caused damages of that amount.

[Liverpool Lou]

  On 7/10/2023 at 6:36 AM, IamNoone88 said:

30 years ..... you get less for murder.

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You can also get more.

[Liverpool Lou]

  On 7/10/2023 at 6:37 AM, homeseeker said:

In Asia you can often get away with murder, but stream football matches without a license= they will get you!

 

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He wasn't doing it in Asia!  He was stupid enough to overstay in Thailand, which was his downfall.

[JayClay]

  On 7/10/2023 at 9:11 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

I would consider subscribing to Sky channels, but they refuse or are unable to sell to the millions of potential expat customers around the world. I have no idea why

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Because they only have the rights to broadcast in the country in which they operate. 

[Ginner]

  On 7/9/2023 at 11:11 PM, ezzra said:

Wow, 30 years for streaming TV shows? not that i feel sorry for the guy, but murderess an rapists  gets lesser sentences that this, very out of proportion in my opinion.

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5 were jailed for 30 years, 30 dived by 5 equals 6 years each.

[falang1969]

Hold on.....

 

"Five of the accused had been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment each"

 

That's not what was reported in the British media, 30 years in TOTAL!

 

The actual sentences are below....

 

"Mark Gould, head of the project, is the one who receives the heaviest sentence: 11 years in prison. His partner Steven Gordon will have to serve a sentence of 5 years and two months. The pair took home £4.6m (€5.35m) and £1.7m (€1.98m) respectively from Flawless. Their three comrades were sentenced to 5 years and two months, 3 years and 11 months and 4 years and 9 months."

[Xonax]

  On 7/10/2023 at 9:23 AM, Liverpool Lou said:

He wasn't doing it in Asia!  He was stupid enough to overstay in Thailand, which was his downfall.

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I guess that Interpol had sent an arrest warrent to Thailand and that he was well aware, that he would have been arrested, if he went to Immigration to extend his stay or tried to exit Thailand.

Sadly we expats have no legal way to watch tv from our home country and have to choose between being a pirate or watch Thai-tv.

[Scouse123]

  On 7/10/2023 at 6:43 AM, MrJ2U said:

He streamed it while in the UK.

 

Tough rules there in the UK regarding streaming/selling Android boxes.

 

Everyone does it here in Thailand.  

 

I think I better put the internet under my wife's name. 

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Everyone I know does it in the UK either with boxes or firesticks.

[kidneyw]

  On 7/10/2023 at 6:43 AM, MrJ2U said:

I think I better put the internet under my wife's name. 

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I agree, can you give it to me please.

[MrJ2U]

  On 7/10/2023 at 11:50 AM, Scouse123 said:

Everyone I know does it in the UK either with boxes or firesticks.

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Can't blame them.

 

Highway robbery the prices they charge for some subscriptions. 

[Bravefart]

  On 7/9/2023 at 10:56 PM, sidjameson said:

For a man with allegedly £7 million in his pocket you'd think he'd be able to afford to pay for his gf to dye her roots. 

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I wish everyone would read the article thoroughly , it clearly states $7 million in fraud ! .

Also what does his partners hair got to do with anything or as usual the , I want to be stand up comedians crawl out from the shadows and try desperately to gain a laugh or two if lucky.

Even a mention of the color of his shorts , perhaps I will in future have to contact the person who commented about the color of the shorts and ensure that I wear a color that is more appealing to his tastes.

Overall I guess all of these sort of comments , perhaps indicates the maturity of some readers.

[vinny41]

  On 7/10/2023 at 8:40 AM, JayClay said:

???? 7 million pounds, then.

 

Whatever the unit of measurement, the principle is the same.

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Your offered the content of 2 boxes which one would you choose

Box 1 contains 7 million baht

Box 2 contains £7 million pounds or 315 million baht

 

[Tropposurfer]

He should have scarpered to Marbella, Spain with all the other 'right hard men n naughty boys'. A crim's paradise.

[Caldera]

  On 7/9/2023 at 10:16 PM, webfact said:

 

Smith, aged 30, had been part of a group of six people who illegally streamed Premier League football and other TV shows in the UK, resulting in damages to the copyright owner of approximately £7 million or 315 million Thai Baht over the past five years. Five of the accused had been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment each, but Smith, the sixth defendant, had fled to Thailand.

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I can't blame him for trying. That's an outrageous prison sentence for such a white collar crime, especially considering that they didn't steal from some poor old grannies but from the sports rights monopoly/mafia.

 

Well anyway, the party is over now.

[BusyB]

  On 7/9/2023 at 11:41 PM, turgid said:

It's not true. The  ring leader got 11 the rest got 4-6.  It made a better story to add them all up to 30.

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No, it was just the usual grotty writing.

[Jonathan Swift]

  On 7/9/2023 at 11:11 PM, ezzra said:

Wow, 30 years for streaming TV shows? not that i feel sorry for the guy, but murderess an rapists  gets lesser sentences that this, very out of proportion in my opinion.

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You don't know the details, and you can't trust sources like this. For example, they may have added all the sentences together for the sake of dramatization in this article. You also don't know the specific law and how it reads. You may be right, maybe not. 

[bristolgeoff]

From what i know many people out there doing similar with boxes or internet stuff.letting people watch sport or tv for a fee.It exist in thailand and everywhere.Big companys if they find them will do everything to punish them.Like this man from the uk.Interpol involved  just don,t mention red bull

[Dcheech]

  On 7/10/2023 at 6:46 AM, spidermike007 said:

My guess is that the FBI (fidelity only to big corporations, not brave at all, and very little integrity) have already approached Thailand, and were politely told to take a walk, and take their nonsense elsewhere.

 

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Thailand takes the highroad, and told the FBI to walk?! Huh what?

All Speculation on your part as this has nothing to do with the US or the FBI. Still from the article I would draw a completely opposite conclusion. Thailand absolutely loves foreign nonsense if they can make a show catch of a naughty farang and get headlines out of it no matter how trivial a rap. Probably make a little money on it too. FBI should be happy as clams with news like this.

[spidermike007]

  On 7/10/2023 at 11:43 PM, Dcheech said:

Thailand takes the highroad, and told the FBI to walk?! Huh what?

All Speculation on your part as this has nothing to do with the US or the FBI. Still from the article I would draw a completely opposite conclusion. Thailand absolutely loves foreign nonsense if they can make a show catch of a naughty farang and get headlines out of it no matter how trivial a rap. Probably make a little money on it too. FBI should be happy as clams with news like this.

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Not the case. If it was, we would be pursued for downloads and free streaming. Like back in the US, where it is a serious crime. And you can bet the FBI has tried. They can't help but to over reach. 

 

Maybe the nitwits got one thing right? 

[JayClay]

  On 7/10/2023 at 1:48 PM, vinny41 said:

Your offered the content of 2 boxes which one would you choose

Box 1 contains 7 million baht

Box 2 contains £7 million pounds or 315 million baht

 

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You read two posts which one is more helpful?

 

Post 1 points out a conceptual misunderstanding of the article thus potentially aiding somebody.

 

Post 2 picks up on a typo.

[Dcheech]

  On 7/11/2023 at 12:20 AM, spidermike007 said:

Not the case. If it was, we would be pursued for downloads and free streaming. Like back in the US, where it is a serious crime. And you can bet the FBI has tried. They can't help but to over reach. 

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Obsessed about the US aren't you. This is Thailand. FBI has no jurisdiction here, nor would they be permitted to run around arresting people here for crimes committed in Thailand. No idea how you think that is even possible. 



 

[spidermike007]

  On 7/11/2023 at 12:34 AM, Dcheech said:

Obsessed about the US aren't you. This is Thailand. FBI has no jurisdiction here, nor would they be permitted to run around arresting people here for crimes committed in Thailand. No idea how you think that is even possible. 



 

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Read up. You obviously don't understand how the system works. The US FBI exerts a huge amount of influence on other nations, when it comes to this area of copyright infringement. They have appointed themselves the world's police, as alot of the context comes from American companies. 

 

The FBI aggressively pursues intellectual property enforcement through traditional investigative methods, intelligence initiatives and coordinated efforts with private industry and domestic and foreign law enforcement partners.

 

Over the last two years, the FBI, through the IPRU, provided training on IPR to law enforcement officials from 15 different countries.

 

https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/testimony/intellectual-property-law-enforcement-efforts

 

 

[roo860]

  On 7/10/2023 at 11:26 AM, falang1969 said:

Hold on.....

 

"Five of the accused had been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment each"

 

That's not what was reported in the British media, 30 years in TOTAL!

 

The actual sentences are below....

 

"Mark Gould, head of the project, is the one who receives the heaviest sentence: 11 years in prison. His partner Steven Gordon will have to serve a sentence of 5 years and two months. The pair took home £4.6m (€5.35m) and £1.7m (€1.98m) respectively from Flawless. Their three comrades were sentenced to 5 years and two months, 3 years and 11 months and 4 years and 9 months."

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You're wasting your time trying to explain this to some of the muppets on here!

[Liverpool Lou]

  On 7/10/2023 at 11:44 AM, Xonax said:

  On 7/10/2023 at 9:23 AM, Liverpool Lou said:

He wasn't doing it in Asia!  He was stupid enough to overstay in Thailand, which was his downfall.

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I guess that Interpol had sent an arrest warrent to Thailand 

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You guess wrong, Interpol does not issue arrest warrants.  They do issue various Notices which are advisories only.

[KannikaP]

  On 7/10/2023 at 1:39 PM, Bravefart said:

I wish everyone would read the article thoroughly , it clearly states $7 million in fraud ! .

Also what does his partners hair got to do with anything or as usual the , I want to be stand up comedians crawl out from the shadows and try desperately to gain a laugh or two if lucky.

Even a mention of the color of his shorts , perhaps I will in future have to contact the person who commented about the color of the shorts and ensure that I wear a color that is more appealing to his tastes.

Overall I guess all of these sort of comments , perhaps indicates the maturity of some readers.

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And the name of some posters also indicates their lack of maturity, Bravefart!

[London Boy]

  On 7/10/2023 at 9:23 AM, Liverpool Lou said:

He wasn't doing it in Asia!  He was stupid enough to overstay in Thailand, which was his downfall.

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Why didn't he use his ill gotten gains to buy an Elite Card? He probably would have got away with it!