The landlady of a Plaistow pub has been ordered to pay more than £12,000 for illegally screening Sky Sports football matches.

Amanda Mansfield, license holder for the Army and Navy Public House in New Barn Street, was convicted of four offences of dishonest reception of a television transmission without a commercial viewing agreement with the intent to avoid payment of the applicable charge, contrary to Section 297 (1) of the Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988.

She was ordered to pay £12,475.75 in fines and costs when she appeared at Thames Magistrates Court on February 19.

Stephen Gerrard, prosecuting manager for Federation Against Copyright Fact, which carried out the prosecution, said: “Despite clear messages and warnings, we are still finding a small number of licensees who persist in using illegal systems to show Sky broadcasts. People found to be showing Sky in commercial premises without having entered into the correct commercial subscription agreement with Sky face criminal prosecution, costs and potential loss of licence.”

Alison Dolan, Deputy Managing Director at Sky Business, said: “The courts continue to clearly define the law by delivering considerable penalties to licensees who televise Sky content illegally. This case reinforces the message that licensees will face legal action when using any system that allows access to matches to which Sky has exclusive rights in the UK without a commercial viewing agreement. Sky will continue to support FACT in prosecuting licensees who break the law to help protect the thousands of hardworking licensees who invest in Sky Sports to build their businesses and entertain their customers.”

FACT has prosecuted 1,500 businesses to date, with hundreds of further cases in the pipeline.