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Wolverhampton pirate radio boss lands £4,000 court bill
A pirate radio boss has been ordered to pay almost £4,000 for running an illegal station and helping others with broadcasts.
Ricky Llewellyn, who runs drum and bass station Distinct FM, also allowed Hot 92, Irie UK and Sting FM to make broadcasts from his server.
The 29-year-old from Bilston appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court this week charged with managing a station knowing unauthorised broadcasts were being made and helping with the running of the other three stations. He pleaded guilty to all charges, claiming he wanted to provide a service to people who had no access to the type of music he played.
The investigation into his actions has cost Ofcom £6,500.
After buying the costly server, Llewellyn took money from the other three stations – based in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands – to recoup his expenditure.
Mr John McCormack, prosecuting on behalf of Ofcom said: “
The freedom of online radio does have an appeal for most but of course, you can’t reach the masses like you can with FM radio.
“The problem is that this takes up space on the airwaves that could be needed for emergency services communication or for pilots.
“His own station doesn’t make a profit but the other three do and after investigating, we found the link between all four to be Mr Llewellyn. So far we haven’t been able to get to the main people behind the others.”
The cost of acquiring a full Ofcom licence to broadcast through FM radio legally is £2,600 a month.
The court heard that Llewellyn, of Windsor Street, had four transmitters taken from his home on two occasions before appearing in court. He was charged with a similar crime back in 2011.
He acted as his own defence in court and said: “I took every opportunity to make sure my equipment didn’t interfere with any other equipment trying to use the airwaves. I even spent money to ensure this wouldn’t happen. Ofcom told me it would be very hard to get a proper licence considering the type of music I play. There is clearly a demand for this type of music.”
Chief magistrate Derek Alldritt told Llewellyn he would have to pay £3,845 in total as a punishment, including a fine of £450 for each of the four stations, costs of £2,000 and a surcharge of£ 45.
