Investigations, prosecutions and substantial prison sentences are an important part of the anti-piracy arsenal. The public downfall of a prolific pirate provides the kind of deterrent messaging that can put people off before they even get started.
At least, that’s a possibility, if everything goes according to plan.
Sky Investigates TikTok Star
UK man Simon Hannigan is a popular food and cooking star on social media. Active on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, his ‘DadtheDish’ account on the latter has over 523,000 followers and 6.4 million likes.
At what point Sky’s investigation linked Hannigan to piracy is unclear but at his sentencing last week, his Facebook groups – including one with 4,775 members – were described as “shop windows” for his sales of pirate IPTV subscriptions. Reportedly using streams sourced from an operation in Europe, Hannigan’s Android app provided 3,500 channels (including those belonging to Sky) for £28 for six months or just £50 per year. Payments for subscriptions were recorded as “paid adverts.”
According to local news outlet MEN, business was good.
“The court heard how Hannigan had previously gloated about his success in text messages, claiming that ‘business was booming’ and ‘phones were blowing up’.”
Sky Investigates, Police Step in to Make the Arrest
On March 23, 2022, what’s described as a Sky-led investigation culminated in Hannigan’s arrest. He reportedly confessed to providing ‘links’ but denied breaching copyright laws, “arguing he wasn’t in control of the system,” MEN reports.
“One of the ‘mother systems’ used to facilitate the operation was based in Europe, serving 50 million people globally,” the publication continues.
The investigation eventually traced 2,644 payments made directly into Hannigan’s bank account, together worth around £152,000.
His arrest in March 2022 apparently came as a relief; the now 35-year-old said being a ‘downstream middle man’ was ‘very difficult’ and took its toll. He was reportedly glad to see an end to the stress it had caused him but with a potential prison sentence looming at his sentencing last Thursday, would the stress return?
Sentencing
At Preston Crown Court, Hannigan received a two-year sentence suspended for 24 months, and was told to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work. So perhaps some stress, but nothing compared to the stress of a Manchester prison. For a legal system that currently hands down years in prison for offensive tweets, Hannigan might consider himself lucky.
He pleaded guilty to offenses that began in 2019 and only ended upon his arrest three years later; participating in a fraudulent business, concealing and transferring criminal property, and providing a service contrary to copyright law.
Local news reports published Friday following Hannigan’s sentencing are notable for something else; the complete absence of official commentary.
No statement from Sky is unusual, something that also raises questions about the nature of the prosecution. In common with the Premier League, Sky often carries out private prosecutions and the mention of a Sky-led investigation does seem to point in that general direction. If that’s indeed the case, balancing the prospect of future prosecutions against community service may be a difficult exercise.
The absence of any commentary from regional police is unusual too, even when considering the lack of a custodial sentence. The absence of both Sky and police is even more unusual but whether the suspended sentence dampened enthusiasm is unknown.
Whether Hannigan’s mitigation tipped the scales is unclear, but a closer look at his portrayal in the media is certainly interesting.
Get Knocked Down, and Keep Getting Back Up Again
Even before his arrest in 2022, Hannigan had appeared in national media. In April 2021, an interview with prominent broadcaster ITV revealed how 11 years earlier, Hannigan found himself homeless and living in a second hand £250 car.
A 2023 interview with national newspaper The Sun revealed that those days were long gone.
“A chef who makes thousands from sharing recipes online used to be homeless and living out of his car,” the interview begins.
“Simon makes between £2,500 – £5,000 per post, collaborating with some of the UK‘s biggest supermarket and homeware brands for sponsored content. His creative endeavor began as a bit of fun two years ago when he set up an Instagram teaching people how to cook during lockdown.”
The article also mentions how Hannigan made the leap from sleeping in a car to selling lots of them. Hannigan told The Sun he sold the car after being motivated by a kind stranger and then immediately launched a new business.
“I turned that one car into eighty cars with six months, buying and selling them, for £2,000 each,” he said, adding that landed him a job at Ford and at just 24, he became “head of business” at Ford UK on a salary of £150,000. Then he started his own recruitment company, a a post on LinkedIn reveals.
A Changed, Copyright-Aware Man
During mitigation, the Court heard that prior to the pirate IPTV business, Hannigan had been hospitalized with a burst appendix. When he returned home, he discovered that his partner had left him for his friend, and once again found himself in ‘dire financial straits’. Looking for work, he reportedly posted on Facebook and stumbled into IPTV sales, initially catering to family and friends.
MEN reports that Hannigan is now proposing to “assist Sky News and the British Copyright Council” to help deter others so that they don’t end up in a similar predicament. Yet as deterrent messaging goes, his case may not be the best example.
Instead of news that Hannigan will be sampling prison food for the next few months, any hope of sending a deterrent message on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, lies in shreds. Even Hannigan’s entrepreneurial spirit and never say die attitude may not be especially motivational, at least according to the paperwork.
From a car retail business, recruitment company, clothing and vodka businesses, to Dad the Dish Limited and his latest venture, Munch Box, the overwhelming majority were incorporated and then dissolved by the government for failing to file even their first set of accounts.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
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