A man sentenced to four years for selling illegal broadcast subscriptions was previously jailed after stealing thousands from an elderly Alzheimer’s sufferer partly to replace stolen money given to him by his fiancée to pay for a wedding dress.
Cormac McGuckin and his now wife, Maura, who have four children, were sentenced after pleading guilty to offences linked to the sale of the Sky Sports and BT Sports streaming services to around 2,000 people in a multi-year black market business involving more than £700,000
McGuckin (38), of The Meadows in Bellaghy, Co Derry, was sentenced at Omagh Crown Court to two years in prison and the remainder on licence for participating in a fraudulent business along with transferring and possessing criminal property between 2016 and 2020.
His 34-year-old wife was sentenced to 12 months suspended after pleading guilty to converting criminal property of £45,135 for car payments and £26,669 holidays. She also pleaded guilty to possessing around £30,000 in criminal proceeds.
McGuckin, who believed it was a “victimless crime”, according to the pre-sentence report, cried as he was led from the dock following sentencing.
Judge Philip Babington said Maura McGuckin was “prepared to turn a blind eye as long as no one came knocking”.
“This was a brazen operation that ran for several years and as though it was a legitimate, legal business. The proceeds of which were used for multiple vehicle loans for high-end car brands, while there was also various large payments on holiday-related expenses,” a Detective Sergeant Robinson said following the sentence.
McGuckin has 23 previous convictions for dishonesty, including stealing £17,000 from a 71-year-old Alzheimer’s sufferer and impersonating a police officer.
A court heard he stole the money from the elderly man “to pay for his (gambling) addiction and replace money” stolen from his then fiancée.
Some of the money was used to pay for a wedding dress and bridal accessories. He spent eight months in prison and committed his latest offences while on licence for those 2015 convictions.
The latest convictions stem from a “lengthy and complex” investigation started after police were contacted by Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT).
A focus for detectives from the Mid Ulster Criminal Investigation Branch detectives was the El Paso Burrito Bar in Dungannon, then owned by McGuckin. They discovered he was selling streaming access to BT Sports and Sky Sports to around 2,000 people, mostly in the Mid-Ulster area.
When the couple’s home was searched police found £38,200 in cash.
Det Sgt Robinson said: “This is not a victimless crime as this type of operation has a direct impact on businesses and consumers and our message to anyone involved in this type of crime is that it will not be tolerated and, working with partner agencies, police will investigate.
“Users and subscribers of illegal services should also be aware that they too are committing an offence for which they can be identified and prosecuted.” He also warned that those involved in the same of illegal streaming have no concerns for private information, including bank details.
“That ‘cheap subscription’ could end up costing you an awful lot more.”
A confiscation investigation by the Economic Crime Unit is likely to the seizure of the defendants’ available assets, the police said.
Kieron Sharp, chief executive officer of FACT, said: “Today’s sentencing marks another victory in the ongoing battle against illegal streaming.
“This operation generated substantial profits at the expense of legitimate content owners, undermining the integrity of the creative industry.”
