Police searching for 69-year-old Yorkshire fraudster who is on the run

John Trevor Dodds, from Seamer, was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Newcastle Crown Court in April 2018 for conspiracy to defraud.

North Yorkshire Police say he is now wanted on recall to prison for breaching his licence conditions.

A police spokeswoman said: “Extensive enquiries are taking place to locate him.

“Police are appealing to anyone who has seen him or has worked with him or who knows his whereabouts to come forward with information.

“John is described as white, around 5 ft 9 tall, of medium build with brown hair and brown eyes.”

Dodds and his accomplice Jason Richards sold hundreds of illegal streaming devices that gave customers unauthorised access to Sky Sports, BT Sport and illegal foreign channels, so they could watch Premier League football matches.

The pair are believed to have made around £1.5m, by selling the devices to pubs and clubs in the North East.

However, they also ripped off some customers by selling them faulty devices which interrupted their signal.

The court heard that Dodds attempted to hide evidence, including his equipment and a list of clients, from police by locking it in his car, which was parked several streets away from his home.

Richards also attempted to hide evidence before he was arrested, by destroying hard drives and hiding information in his deep freezer.

They were both arrested after the Premier League and intellectual property protection specialists FACT UK conducted an investigation.

In 2020, Dodds was ordered to pay back £521,000 at Newcastle Crown Court and told his sentence would be extended by five years if he failed to do so.

Speaking after that ruling, Lord Toby Harris, Chair, National Trading Standards,said: “Mr Dodds orchestrated the sale of hundreds of devices that undermined legitimate businesses and ripped off consumers, with many customers paying for Kodi-style boxes and equipment that were faulty.

“The long prison sentence, combined with the additional confiscation orders announced this week, send a strong message that crime does not pay.

"This case clearly demonstrates that providing access to unauthorised streams and content is illegal and anyone engaging in piracy of this nature is liable to prosecution.”