Man who made nearly half a million pounds running illegal TV streaming company sentenced

A Co Londonderry man who made nearly half a million pounds and enjoyed a "lavish" lifestyle running an illegal TV streaming company has been sentenced to four years.

The judge told 38-year-old Cormac McGuckin, who has 25 previous convictions, "you caused harm to companies like Sky and BT. Your motives were purely financial. You made a great deal of money".

McGuckin, of the Meadows in Bellaghy, pleaded guilty to a number of fraud charges, dating back to 2016, in June 2024 and will spend two years in prison and two years out on licence.

He looked at his wife who was also in the dock before he was lead away.

Maura McGuckin, 34, with the same address, was handed a suspended sentence for her part after also pleading guilty in June.

At Omagh Crown Court, the judge told the mother of four "you sat back and benefited from your husband's dishonesty. You are before this court because of his actions".

The illegal streaming business was exposed by an undercover internet investigator.

The court heard that in the pre-sentence report McGuckin "believed it was a victimless crime and he wasn't harming anyone".

His wife said she "didn't realise what her husband was doing was illegal. She was oblivious to the money coming into the joint account and was happy to turn a blind eye as long as no one came knocking".

The court heard the couple had a lavish lifestyle in terms of owning high end cars and going on expensive holidays.

In a statement, Matt Hibbert, Group Director Anti-Piracy at Sky, said: "We are grateful to FACT and the Police Service of Northern Ireland in successfully bringing this case to court.

"We work closely with our partners in tracking down those who are intent on stealing our content and in helping keep consumers safe from the risks of illegal streaming, such as malware, accessing banking information or theft of personal data."

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