Premier League fraudster who has been on the run for a year may be in Cyprus, say police

Jonathan Pritchard
By Jonathan Pritchard
Published 7th Mar 2023, 07:37 BST
Police have appealed for help in tracking down a missing fraudster from Yorkshire who has been on the run for more than a year.

North Yorkshire Police believe John Trevor Dodds, from Seamer, may be in Cyprus after being wanted on recall to prison for breaching his licence conditions. The 70-year-old was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Newcastle Crown Court in April 2018 for conspiracy to defraud after selling illegal Premier League football streams to pubs and clubs as part of a £1.5m racket.

The force said it believed he may have travelled to Cyprus.

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.

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John Trevor Dodds who is 70-year-old and from Seamer near Stokesley is wanted on recall to prison for breach of licence conditions. 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 Trevor Dodds who is 70-year-old and from Seamer near Stokesley is wanted on recall to prison for breach of licence conditions. 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 Trevor Dodds who is 70-year-old and from Seamer near Stokesley is wanted on recall to prison for breach of licence conditions. Police are appealing to anyone who has seen him or has worked with him or who knows his whereabouts to come forward with information.

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.”

Anyone with information as to his whereabouts is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 12220006037. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.