Fraudster told to pay back cash

A Bellshill man, who made over £120,000 through an illegal code-sharing scheme, has been ordered to repay the money.
Gavin GrayGavin Gray
Gavin Gray

The case against Gavin Gray was the first card sharing conviction of its kind in Scotland.

The 27-year-old illegally sold decryption codes for premium Sky TV channels, including Sky Sports and Sky Movies.

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He had been given the codes for his personal use, but sold them to a list of 1800 clients who paid £5 a month over a four year period after advertising on dedicated card sharing websites and forums.

When police searched his home they seized £44,500 hidden in a safe in the loft and later seized a further £80,000 from his bank account.

In January of last year Gray pleaded guilty to running the fraudulent scheme and two months later was sentenced to a 12-month Restriction of Liberty Order and a Community Payback Order with 300 hours of unpaid work.

On Tuesday a confiscation order for £128,670 was granted at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework, Liam Murphy, said: “Gray operated a large-scale card sharing scheme which defrauded a broadcaster out of more than a million pounds over four years.

“This result should serve as a warning to all criminals. We will not stop at prosecution. We will use the laws available to us to ensure money obtained through crime is confiscated from those who do not deserve it and reinvested into the community.”